General opinions....mild upgrades for 09

Ok after having my factory receiver replaced under warranty I am actually pretty happy with my sound as of now. I have the standard 2009 system with the ugly factory sub box in a 2009 access cab.

I hate the factory box and the fact I now have factory speakers in the overhead roof liner (where I can not get to them) just pisses me off. What was toyota thinking removing the speakers from the rear access doors anyway?

I visited a local shop asking for ideas and they suggested upgrading the front speakers and if I wanted to do so also going with an aftermarket receiver. I asked about adding speakers to the rear doors and he said I would not really need them. He said if I had quality speakers up front I would never notice a difference. He even said if I wished to do so I could simply do without the weird speakers over my head in the liner.

My plan is to keep the factory sub box where it is at and maybe try to modify the weird looking X shape. If not possible I may simply use a different sub of the same size in the factory box. I will buy better speakers up front however is the shop correct in saying I do not really have to worry about the rears? I basically want a little better sound than stock and if I can do this with the factory system and better front speakers then great.

I am also wondering if it would be possible to find a better sub that fits the factory box on the 09s. I went to 2 shops and both tried to convince me to use a custom made box however I really do not desire to do that. I am just not that much into the big sounds of a booming custom box and a little better than factory should do me fine.

So to mildly upgrade my factory system whats your opinions on doing so? Is it true that the rears are not a priority and just how much of a difference can upgraded front speakers make without changing anything else?

 

I don't sit in my back seat and listen to music very often, so they aren't a priority for me. In fact, I find that rear speakers make it harder to get a well balanced front stage.

I'd put my money into the front components as that is what I typically prefer. Your ears may be different. Go out and listen to different types of speakers and see for your self what you like.

You may want to look into adding an amp for those front speakers, but it isn't mandatory for them to work. You can get added performance from them and change the way they sound (generally for the better) with the addition of an amp. But for starters, I'd look to get a nice set of component speakers.

 

I added an Infinity Basslink to the factory stereo. Big improvement, but too boomy with excessive upper bass. I added 50hz FMODs and ran the speaker level wires through the FMODs. Now it rocks! Good sound quality with decent imaging. The tonal quality is not that of aftermarket components obviously, but if you like it reasonable loud with good bass, it's cheap and somewhat easy.

 

Was you able to use the factory wiring harness left over from your sub to power the infinity? I was hoping it would really be just as easy as removing that ugly ass enclosure and using something like the bass link in its place with the existing wiring.

Not even sure what you mean by FMOD however at least I know it is possible to have a little better sound using mostly original stuff. I have not had time to return to the radio shop for an evaluation however do plan to do so this weekend.

Thanks for the input and with some luck I can finally be rid of this horrible sub enclosure. I really do not mind the idea of a small box on the rear wall and would be just as happy if I had something small like the bass link there.....what makes me so angry is the "juvenile" look of this god awful factory X shaped enclosure.

 

Actually, I didn't have a sub from the factory. I added a power wire, and stole a signal from the front speaker wires behind the factory cd/mp3 player.