2018 Tacoma stereo upgrade

Good morning everyone! I have a bit of a dilemma. I want to upgrade my stereo in my access cab to accommodate my Alpine single DIN deck, amp, subwoofer and 6x9's. I was hoping the stereo install facility could put in some sort of A/B switch to switch between the Navigation system (stock in truck) and my upgraded stereo (Alpine). What are other people doing with their Tacs? The stock stereos are just plain crap!

 

ok so i'll be the first with zero insight but a question.......what is it that makes the stock stereo crap? i kinda like mine, XM built in, cd player, bluetooth capable, touch screen with knobs and you can access multiple things for the truck without having to use the steering wheel controls...genuinely interested because a lot of people complain with no real answer except they can't stream certain music apps or something of the like......i have no complaints because i don't use the head unit like most do....i don't connect my phone to my truck so i just don't some of the features therefore i don't know about some issues

 

Thanks for your response! I am a musician, so quality audio is very important to me. In my 2009 Tac, I had an Alpine deck with an amp and sub-woofer and it sounded awesome. I just find the stock stereo and speakers are not up to par for me.

 

Agreed, sound in my 2017 TRD Sport is bad. And there is little volume. I like to ride with the windows down and you can barely hear the stereo!

 

oh ok makes sense....my complaint is with the speakers also because i'm a windows down kinda guy unless its 95 degrees and 100% humidity which almost everyday in the summer here....but the speakers will be upgraded in the near future in mine... so does the stock stereo hold back the speakers or do you think by changing the speakers the stereo will improve?

 

Have you done the $250 premium speaker upgrade? I did, I have my windows down all the time. I can't imagine needing more volume.

 

Yeah, if it's just about volume that's fine, but IMO a moving vehicle is about the worst possible listening environment you can be in, and to be worrying about audiophile-grade sound is a losing proposition. The stock system in my 2018 OR doesn't sound *bad*, but I'll probably upgrade the door speakers at some point. Do you have a link to the thread about the $250 upgrade specifics?

 

Not sure if there are any out there for sale, but the JBL premium is very nice. No interference with stock features, no worries about it getting stolen, sub-woofer shakes the mirrors, front speakers have good highs and lows. I can't imagine having it more than 3/4 volume without ear plugs. I am a bit of an audiophile myself and this is one of the best all around stereo systems I have ever had including after market systems. With aftermarket there are many considerations including proper speaker size, power to all speakers, sub woofer not overpowered, and ability to hear the same thing in back seat as the front. With an access cab you may not be worried about the rear seat. I would assume this system would be plug and play.

 

Here you go. It'll sound quite a bit better than the JBL equipped Tacoma's after this.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/premium-audio-upgrade-for-less-than-250.510424/#post-16031342

 

The JBL is still the same paper speakers they throw in the non JBL, but with an amp and a sub. There's pictures of the two speakers side by side. Magnet the size of a nickel.

 

Thanks man!!

 

That upgrade is well worth the money, big improvement over the stock stuff.

 

Would like to see the pictures. Seeing mine through the speaker grate they don't look like paper, but looks can be deceiving. Either way it sounds very good. More power always helps. The biggest speaker in the world will sound terrible if not filtered for frequency and gets no power.

 

Top is mine. Bottom is from another thread I took it from, it's the JBL. It might be a little different.

 

Top is definitely paper, bottom doesn't look like mine. Mine also have an orange ring around the outside of the cone.

 

There's the kicker I replaced it with.

 

That one had the orange ring around it. I'll have to dig to find it.

 

There it is. I guess maybe it isn't paper. Does look like it shares the same magnet.

 

I was amazed at how cheap looking the factory speakers were. I swear 1 of the Kicker replacements weighed more than all of the factory units combined. The Kicker upgrade is well worth it, it makes a huge difference.

 

I noticed that also. I'm guessing the kickers weigh 5 pounds each. The stock speakers can't weigh 2lbs for all 4.