2023 Tacoma JBL audio options

So I am really confused with this system. It just sounds so bad. Funny part is that HD radio actually sounds really good for some reason, but Bluetooth, Android auto, siris xm and car play all sound terrible. Idk know what's going on, but it seems to be a common issue. So I've narrowed my options to the following. Goal is good acoustics and low end bass with budget in mind.

Option 1: Kicker JBL amp bypass with after market HU. Basically amplifies current speakers and keeps factory sub with some benefits of a new HU. Cost $2200 +/-

Option 2: OEM audio plus amp with new sub and dedicated amp no speakers to lower cost.
Cost $3000 more or less

Option 3: simply a new set of focal speakers or other speakers keeping factory HU and factory sub/am.
Cost 500+/-

Option 4: replace tweeters, but the only after market tweeters I can find are 4 ohms and factory tweeters are 2ohms which could cause issues? Cost: $200+/-

 

Option 5: DiamondBoxx in the back seat and you can take it with you. Honestly the best sound I have ever heard from a BT speaker.

 

I had the JBL system. It totally sucks. Here is what I did.
Keep the head unit. Replace all speakers including the sub with good aftermarket speakers.
Add in a good amp to power all. And maybe sound deaden the doors while at it.
I've done this to my last 2 Tacoma's. Makes a huge difference at a reasonable cost.

 

I just went through this process myself, I thought the JBL sounded terrible. I ended up replacing everything. I started with the HU and it gave me more overall volume yet still sounded poor. I Then replaced the subwoofer with a Pioneer drop in off of Crutchfield, then replaced all the speakers with the Kicker set off trail grid pro, and did sound deadening. It sounded better but still not impressive. Then I went with the Kicker JBL bypass amp off of trailgrid pro... that changed everything. It sounds amazing now. Im not an audiophile or anything but I find myself listening to stuff I normally wouldn't because it sounds so good.

 

Dude this is what I was looking for. Thank you.

 

I have been in the same boat, on the fence about what to spend money on to improve the factory JBL system. I refuse to give OEM Audio Plus that much money when I could build something much better for $3,000+. I hear they may have a speaker kit in the works for JBL-equipped trucks (I believe they are switching speaker manufacturers), but I don't know if their speakers will be any better than the Kicker KS, Alpine S2, or Focal plug and play kits from Trail Grid Pro.

I've found the source and the quality of your audio/content seem to make a very noticeable difference in how the factory JBL sounds. I know many complain about lack of volume and bass, but in general, I find the factory JBL to loud enough with a decent amount of bass compared to other premium OEM systems (with the right source and content).

The big problem for me is the lack of clarity from all speakers. The factory JBL system has always sounded harsh to me, but it's also muffled and muddy at the same time. On top of that, the factory subwoofer sounds sloppy and doesn't reach low enough in frequency for my taste.

I recently learned about the Beat-Sonic Encore Alpha Plug and Play amplifier (Model: ENA-2T3). I'm not affiliated with them in any way. I was highly skeptical of their "amp" because it didn't make sense in my mind - I couldn't see how ~23W RMS per channel could make any noticeable improvement to the JBL system... but it did. A Beat-Sonic rep explained that with the factory JBL system, their "amp" will act like a line driver to send a better, cleaner signal to the factory JBL amp. My understanding is that it's not adding wattage to the JBL system. It's just sending a stronger, cleaner signal to the factory JBL amp that results in more volume and clarity. The trebble, midrange, and bass all sound clearer with more impact with the Beat-Sonic amp installed.

For the record, I still think my JBL-equipped truck needs better speakers and a better subwoofer, but Beat-Sonic amp made a very noticeable difference for ~$300... and it only took maybe 20-30 min to install with zero issues. I'm now thinking of going with the Alpine S2 plug & play speaker kit from Trail Grid Pro and swapping out the factory sub for a

$170 Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8 8" Dual 2-Ohm Punch Series Shallow Mount Car Subwoofer

Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8. I'm very curious to hear how aftermarket speakers and sub respond to the Beat-Sonic amp.

 

Dude let me know how this setup sounds if you end up buying the Alpine. I be curious to see if there's some sort of difference

 

Yep. Same here. When hd radio comes in clear it sounds great in addition to some music on my usb flash drive. But when it's regular radio or some usb music it's garbage. My stock jeep wrangler radio with kicker speakers blows it away.

 

So weird honestly

 

I will post on here once I end up getting the new speakers. It might be a few months though, since I want to give myself some time to get used to the Beat-Sonic amp with different sources and types of music.

To be clear, it still doesn't come close to my full aftermarket systems in previous vehicles, but it really wakes up all the factory JBL speakers, including the factory subwoofer. I'm hoping the Beat-Sonic amp feeds the JBL amp enough to help it drive 4 ohm speakers (like most aftermarket options).

With regard to HD radio, I think quality will depend on the station. However, Spotify set to "very high" audio quality (iPhone connected via USB for CarPlay) has always been noticeably better than any HD radio station I've heard. If you're playing music from a device, I would pay attention to the quality of the audio file.

 

Alright so after contemplating a variety of options. I'm going to go with the OEM audio plus amp dsp plus dedicated sub w/ sub amp. Going to keep the factory speakers til they blow up before replacing them. From what I've gathered it seems everyone with JBL tries replacing the speakers before eventually replacing the sub then ultimately replacing the amp.

I figured I'll just skip the guessing and inevitable fact that the JBL system needs to go.

 

Don’t feel bad. JBL isn’t what it used to be after it was sold. Recently, I’ve been in some high end vehicles paired with high end manufacturers audio. For what those options cost your far better doing it yourself. Sure, a lot of time was spent engineering those high end systems but with today’s DSP technology you can do pretty good yourself likely for a whole lot less money.

 

Option #4 get a rockford dsr that allows you to rip the jbl amp out and use your own. Then you can do whatever you want for amp/speakers
I did this 4 ish months ago. Its sooo much better. (Cheapie 4 channel amp for doors another running in 2 channel mode running a kicker 8" dvc sub. It is pretty amazing so far. I will be ditching the owm door/dash speakers at aome point)