Can I get a decent upgrade for $1000-$1200???

First I know NOTHING about audio. I've been reading through other threads and it's like reading a foreign language.

I have a 2012 access cab. I'd like to keep the factory HU. I was thinking of upgrading the 2 speakers in each front door and adding an amp and sub. I have no speakers in the rear doors. Space and a clean look are important. Possibly get one or two of the amplified under seat subs. IDK

I've sent emails to 3 different local audio shops asking for some options but haven't got any call backs yet.

Can you all give me any suggestions please?

 

I put in alpine spr60s with a hideaway and love it. Without the hideaway, should be in the price range.

 

If you shop around and do the install yourself, you can get a decent setup for that budget

 

For your price range you should be able to get a great system installed. $1000 should go a long way. However it's been awhile since I've bought a new car sound system and I haven't priced anything...so maybe the market has got crazy.

My last car stereo was Kenwood. My Ford system cd player went out within the first 5 years and I got the Kenwood. It cost less than $200 at Best Buy. I never replaced the speakers.

Back in the day (1980's) Alpine and Kenwood were the best. That was before Bose. Look into Pioneer as well. What you want to know to compare is the amount of "watts per channel." The more the better.

Hope this helps out in your quest.

 

For $1k to $1,200 you should easily be able to accomplish that in my book. But I don't buy super high end crap either. Eventually I want to upgrade the factory speakers.

First thing I did to my truck was install a box with twin 10" Kicker Comp-D Subwoofers and an Alpine amp. Just adding bass makes a big difference.

There's an audio place in my town though that sells $1,000 speakers... so it's all about what you buy.

 

Agree that you'll get pretty close within your budget. I spent 700-800 and did the install myself to get decent door speakers, amp, sub, LOC, and all the assorted wires/etc. Some guys here recently have reported good results with underseat subwoofers... those might be worth looking into.

 

If you're just looking to improve the oem sound you can easily do it for less than 1000. I replaced my DC system myself. Bought a pioneer avh4400 used for I think $150, bought new front door speakers for about $150, bought sound matting for the doors (don't remember the price of that) and bought a kenwood underseat sub/amp for $140. Installed it all myself for probably less than $700 total. I don't remember the total price when I factor in the various small bits and pieces I also needed.

Overall much better sound, definitely worth it in the end and not terribly difficult to do yourself if you just read and research.

 

I've been looking at this http://oemaudioplus.com/toyota/tcd1600/

 

If you're paying someone to install then you're probably paying retail on whatever equipment you buy, plus state taxes on the equipment and labor so you probably won't get much more than a mono subwoofer amp and 1 sub with box. I'd at least recommend buying your equipment online. You save on taxes and you can pay [way] less than retail.

If you were willing to do it yourself and not go for a new headunit or processor (DSP) then you could get a pretty killer system. You could substitute the DSP with an AudioControl LC7i for < $100 off Jet.com.

My system will include:

- Two JL Audio 10TW3 subs - paid $390 (used from DIYMA)
- Alpine PDX-V9 amp - paid $375 (Jet.com)
- JL Audio Fix-86 DSP - $330 (Sonic Electronix)
- Hertz 6.5" mids and Rainbow tweeters (from a previous install)
- Stinger wiring, RCAs, etc. (from previous install)
- Building the custom subwoofer box myself

 

For 1000-1200 bucks, if recommend getting an Audiocontrol DQDX (300$)to give you control over the EQ for the speakers while retaining the stock Head Unit, and then add some nice door speakers (100-150 a set, 2x req'd, $300 estimate), and then an amp for the door speakers ($100-200, about 500W or 125x4 should do nicely), and finally use the rest to get started on a sub setup. You could find a nice box, amp, and wire combo for 300 easily or build your own box for like 50ish in materials and then buy a sub and amp with the other 450 you would have left.

 

Super budget minded keeping factory deck:
Mr.Marv speaker brackets $40-50 or so(whatever he is charging these days)
Pick a set of 6.5 components, (im running a set of polk audio dxbi650 or whatever they are, bought from sonicelectronix, i like them)
Alpine power pack $100 give or take (run it in 2 channel mode, with the right toyota radio plugs, one that plugs into the factory deck and one that plugs into the harness you can wire it in without cutting any wires and its 100% reversible)

Since you will have the rear channel wires free since you dont have rear speakers you can run those to an under sear compact sub using the hi level inputs instead of a line out convertor and rcas. $100-160. Ive been eyeballing the NVX brand of those since it seems to have the smallest overal height between comparable brands so it will fit better under the seat.

Right there you are under $400 including the 8guage power cable to the sub and related fuses and such.

I will have the exact setup in my 2013 DC except i have a dayton 3" full range mixed in with the polk components.

System prior to that was a full active setup, lots of power, dsp, time aligned etc.. just want to keep things simlple now.

 

You can do something halfway sweet with $1,200 if you're doing the install. Not so much if you're paying someone.

 

Ive got a 2016 Access Cab and did a 12" JL W6.. the box i had built takes up the backseat on the passenger side. Stock HU and stock door speakers and this shit slaps.

Ive got an Alpine MRV-M500 to push the power and I rarely turn the knob all the way up... and I play shit like Migos yo

I've done full systems in multiple cars but these newer stock door speakers are actually pretty damn good.

Spent 1200 at CarToys in Portland that day but went home with a new Escort Radar Detector too

 

I did my whole build for about $1000. Check out the link in the footer of my post. Only changes I have done since the build was replace the Alpine PDR-f50 with a Precision Power Phantom P900.

 

Picked the truck up yesterday from a local shop. I originally went to 3 different shops to get estimates and ideas. Went with a shop named Absolute Style and Sound on Mountain Rd in Pasadena, Md

$399 Pioneer MVH-AV290BT Pioneer DMH-100BT 6.2" Touchscreen, Bluetooth, Back-up Camera Ready - Digital Media Receiver

Pioneer MVH-AV290BT head unit
MTX Terminator65 component speaker system in the front doors
MTX Thunder65 2 way speakers were installed into my rear doors

Those speakers are powered by an

$190 Alpine KTP-445A Head Unit Power Pack

Alpine KTP-445A Power Pack

Under the drivers seat is a Kenwood KSC-SW11 compact powered sub

I paid $1550 total and couldn't be happier. This is far louder than anything I'll ever need and the quality of sound is great!

Dropping it off tomorrow morning for some Goodyear Adventure All-Terrains.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

Wow.. I need to start doing stereo installs in tacomas.