Looking to Upgrade Stereo

I am looking to upgrade the stereo and speakers in my '02 Tacoma. It is a crew cab and I would like to add some punch to the stereo without being outrageous. Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

Need more info to help you on this. Primarily budget. You can get very different ideas for $500 or $1,000 or $1,500.

 

I am looking at a budget around $500. Ideally, new head set, all new speakers, and a sub. I like to be able to have the whole range when it comes to my music.

 

I hate to break it to you, but that's not going to happen for $500.

This is just really rough pricing off the top of my head, and some recommendations from personal experience. Also, I'm assuming that you plan to self-install all of this, otherwise you're going to have to add money for the installation fees.

A basic headunit (the name for the unit in your dash) is going to run you a minimum of $200 if you want something that actually sounds nice.

If you're planning to add a sub you might have to pay a little more to make sure that you have a set of pre-outs (basically RCA output jacks) specifically for the sub. At the $200 price point you might not always find that, so double check.

On top of the head unit itself you're also going to need a dash kit and wiring harness. Lucky you - those two combined for an '02 shouldn't run you more than $20 or $30!

Installing the head unit is pretty straight forward and I'm sure you can find a ton of guides.

Definitely start with this upgrade. A stereo is very much like a chain, which is only as strong as its weakest link. The head unit is (for all intents and purposes) the first link in the chain. It is the source of the signal, and if you start with a shitty signal it won't matter how good your speakers are.

After that, you have to make a decision when you start replacing door speakers. Most head units will put out 50x4 watts - that is to say, they can put out 50W to each speaker. If you buy speakers that require more power than this, you'll need to amp them. If you're looking to save on costs, make sure you get speakers that are rated for the same amount of power that your head unit puts out. Under-powering is actually worse than over-powering.

Speakers come in pairs of 2, and range from $50 on the low end to $200 on the high end before you start requiring an amp to power them. Personally I would recommend going with a middle-of-the-road option for around $120. These will give you a better sound than factory, without blowing the budget. The $50 price point is more of an, "Oh crap, my speakers blew and I need a replacement!" thing.

Finally, the same applies to subs. I don't know if your truck came with a sub or not (my '08 with the JBL package did, but it's just a little 8"), but in 90% of cases you'll have to buy an amp for the sub. The head unit will not cut it.

This is where things get really expensive, unless you have some of the parts / buy used. Now you need to buy a sub (or two), an enclosure to put them in (If you're handy you can build one for really cheap!), the amp to power the subs, and a wiring kit (or you can buy the components of this kit individually, but usually a kit is just easier).

I don't know how much room you have, but traditionally trucks are pretty tight on space. The simplest option is usually a shallow-mount sub. These don't have quite as much thump as a full depth sub, but they are a nice compromise if you just want to improve the overall sound in the vehicle. These will range from $150 to $250 or so, depending on how much power you want and whether you get one that is already mounted in an enclosure or not.

A full-depth sub can actually cost you less than a shallow-mount on the low end (As low as $80 or so), and significantly more on the high end. Again, it all comes down to how much power you want to push and what quality of sound you're looking for.

A Class D amplifier (mono channel, which is what you want for powering subs) is probably going to run you at least $200 unless you can get it used. Price is not tied to a specific level of power output either. In most cases you'll actually find that the expensive, high quality amps are significantly lower in terms of power output. The important part is that you match your amp's RMS Power and Ohms to what your sub expects.

If you're looking for a decent quality low-cost brand, try Pioneer. They typically have a low, medium, and high quality line for their products. Stick with the medium or high quality lines and you'll be fine. I've never had any issues and I've been using Pioneer products for years.

Another excellent resource is http://crutchfield.com -- That site can help you find parts, and will tell you what does and doesn't fit in your truck.

For $500 you could get

- Head Unit: $200 + $30 for mounting bracket and harness
- Front door speakers: $120
- Rear door speakers: $120

For a total of $470.

That would drastically improve your sound quality and would be quite easy to self-install.

You could add a sub later on at any time.