Wanting to get a better system in my truck….

Hello, just looking for recommendations for a stereo system in my truck. 2021 TRD Sport.
Thanks in advance

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/audio-video.12/

 

Seems to be a big want from lots of folks here.
Luckily for me I don't care too much about tunes when driving.

Actually the whirrrr of the wind kinda puts me to sleep especially at 65+ mph, I sleep like a baby with that wind-noise...

Reminds me of a story about when my grandpappy passed....
Everyone in the family says they want to die in their sleep like grandpa, not like the screaming passengers in the car.

 

There are many, many ways to go.

The big question is, how much storage space are you willing to sacrifice?

• Absolutely zero whatsoever - no problem! There are amps that can fit behind the dash, and will still put out a highly satisfactory 50 watts per channel.

• I'm ok with losing the space under the driver's seat - even better! What's going under there aside from stale french fries anyway? There are compact subwoofers that fit under the driver's seat. Some of them almost sound good.

• I'm ok with losing the storage behind the rear seats - great! Now you can get into some loud thumping that can deafen you and almost be heard when standing outside the truck.

• I'm ok with losing the rear seat altogether - ...it's showtime!!

(PS. I went with the behind-dash 4 channel amp, cheap component speakers, cheaper under-seat subwoofer, insulation in doors and rear. I really enjoy it. )

 

the really big questions are how much do you want to spend, and what features are you looking to improve or gain?

 

How old are you. The younger they are the louder they want. I am happy with my system in my sport don't see any issues with good sound.

 

What do you recommend for something similar to what is mentioned in the post above? Upgrading the 6 speakers, a small "under the seat" sub, and an amplifier that can hide away. I assume there is some sort of common combination of components people commonly use that work well for the Tacomas?

 

Some of us simply enjoy quality sound. Being a truck with a crowded and oddly shaped cabin, I know that I'm never going to achieve the quality of the Royal Albert Hall, however, there is a middle ground. For about a thousand or a little less, you can have a system that puts out clear(ish) sound across the full spectrum, and all of a sudden you can hear things like vocals that are not sang through a wet cardboard tube, and fingers sliding across fret boards. Do I need a system that can pick up the background conversations that were going on two studios over during recording? Nah. Its a truck. I just want to hear the radio broadcast and call it good enough. And there is plenty of room for improvement for a "good enough" upgrade that puts it on the level of what you get on a stock mid-priced sedan.

 

My bullet.

I don't have a rear seat..haha

 

I only changed 2 things.

Tweeters in the dash and added an 8" underseat powered Sub. Wired the sub to the rear door speakers behind the HU.

 

I upgraded the tweeters, upgraded all speakers, don't waste money on the rear and then wired the front speakers to the rear. Big difference, at least to me.

 

Yeah, what sounds good is subjective. I personally prefer clarity, with enough bass at a moderate volume, don't need it crazy loud. And I don't like using up all my storage space for subs and amps.

LOL on the "underseat subs that almost sound good," that has been my experience in the past. Better front component speakers provide cleaner bass in my experience. If that's not enough for you, bite the bullet and do a sub enclosure with a dedicated amp behind the rear seat.

After trying some cheaper things, I ended up with Kenwood components in the front that have the larger mid-tweeter in the dash and woofers in the door. A Kicker Key amp behind the stock HU running in bi-amp mode for the fronts (it works as an active crossover and effectively splits frequencies and provides enough power to drive the speakers). Without repositioning the rear speakers, there will never be good sound in the back seat. People are rarely there, and only for short trips where you are likely not blasting tunes. It's mostly my dog's space, and he doesn't care. So I just upgraded the speakers and they are run directly from the HU. I can't even tell they are there.

 

People still replace their car stereos these days? Is there even decent music to play anymore? Please bring back 1989.

 

Sure is. My CD player is constantly in use. Yesterday's rotation was mostly Black Flag.

 

I would say that we have seen more creativity and pure musical talent this decade than we have in the prior three. I'm a fan of all genres and all decades of available recorded music, and there is some amazing stuff going on right now. Just stick to the little live shows that will sell out a 100-seat venue, and stay the hell out of the stadium performances.

 

If you count illiterate gangster thugs making up their own words because they can't even rhyme like a 3rd grader musical geniuses, I agree. Or Taylor Swift, yep, much better than anything from the 80s. I mean, she at least pretends to play guitar. How about Kanye? Another brilliant artist that can't play an instrument or even have a hit. Yep this is definitely the musical renascence we are seeing.

 

Recently caught the Social D/Bad Religion show. They still have it, but not for much longer. It's kind of sad.

 

We have this thing called technology that allows one to listen to anything they want, whenever they want so you're not at the mercy of the radio stations.

 

Seen SD a few times but not Bad Religion though. Agreed it's sad to lose them..I nearly wept after the final Slayer concert I went to Nov 2019. Just stood there mouth open with a feeling like I was happy and sad at the same time.

The ones that are really sad are bands like Motley Crue who just can't accept it and retire. Vince can't get a verse out without almost gasping for air..

 

Funny story, my 16 year old son the other day said "Wow, I didn't know you could listen to radio stations outside of a car."