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HELP: Speakers Sound Like Shit

Discussion in 'Audio & Video' started by zacharypaul89, Jul 16, 2015.

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  1. Jul 16, 2015 at 11:27 AM
    #1
    zacharypaul89

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    zacharypaul89 [OP] Eat right, be fit, die anyway

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    Hello audio gurus. I just bought a 2003 4x4 (previously had an '01 PreRunner, so I'm not new to the Tacoma or the tacomaworld.com) Unfortunately, most of my knowledge deals with stuff under the hood and suspension.

    Anyway, from day 1, the speakers have sounded like shit. He had an aftermarket head unit installed, but I put my JVC in from my '01 before I sold it because I already knew how to navigate it. I thought that would solve the issues because maybe his settings were screwed up, but even after I installed mine, it sounded the same.

    When the volume is low, you can hear stuff, but it's muffled and you can't hear vocals or the dj talking at all hardly. When the volume is up, it sounds louder, but it's not clear: either the bass or the treble is too high (I've adjusted both) and it just sounds crappy. Sometimes if I'm listening to a song with some bass, the rear-left speaker rattles some.

    I found out he had subwoofers in the back and I've deduced from that info that he probably rode around with the speakers blasting and ruined them. I'm not into bass or anything like that, I just want my music to sound good.

    1. Am I correct in assuming that the speakers are bad?

    2. What's a good aftermarket set of speakers that will produce a good sound for cheap?
     
    zacharypaul89, Jul 16, 2015
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  2. Jul 16, 2015 at 12:49 PM
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    012TacoDeAsada

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    012TacoDeAsada Well-Known Member

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    Good sound and cheap don't ever go together in a sentence.speaker options always depend on your budget.so what's your budget?
     
    012TacoDeAsada, Jul 16, 2015
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  3. Jul 16, 2015 at 12:51 PM
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    zacharypaul89

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    zacharypaul89 [OP] Eat right, be fit, die anyway

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    Good point. I don't want to spend more than $200, but I do prefer quality, so I can go higher if I need to. I listen to mostly southern rock, so I'm not looking to wake up the neighbors with bass or anything lol...I would like a quality sound though.
     
    zacharypaul89, Jul 16, 2015
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  4. Jul 16, 2015 at 12:58 PM
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    KauaiBoy

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    KauaiBoy Active Member

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    Same truck. I got some kicker 75 watt speakers off crutchfield to replace my stock ones. The 6x8's are $70 for a pair I think. I have an amp powering them and they sound awesome but I'm sure they'd sound decent without one too
     
    KauaiBoy, Jul 16, 2015
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    zacharypaul89[OP] likes this.
  5. Jul 16, 2015 at 1:02 PM
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    zacharypaul89

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    zacharypaul89 [OP] Eat right, be fit, die anyway

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    Yeah, I don't want to get an amp and all that...I'll check those out. Thanks
     
    zacharypaul89, Jul 16, 2015
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  6. Jul 17, 2015 at 6:47 AM
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    jamiec

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    jamiec Man who keep hands in pockets feel cocky all day

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    I just replaced all my stock speakers with JBL GTO series. They sound incredible even with my stock head unit. Then I added a clarion xc1410 amp to them and now I'm bumpin! But I'm not talking about rattling house windows bumpin, just a good clean sound all around.
    It sounds great in the cab and you can definitely hear the bass when your away from the truck.
    This is my first experience with JBL and I'm so glad I went with them. They aren't too pricey either. I paid $70 for my front 6x9s and $60 for the rear 6 1/2s. They have a built in crossover for the tweeters as well.
    I got them off Amazon if you want to check them out
     
    jamiec, Jul 17, 2015
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  7. Jul 17, 2015 at 7:22 AM
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    zacharypaul89

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    zacharypaul89 [OP] Eat right, be fit, die anyway

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    I will. Thanks.
     
    zacharypaul89, Jul 17, 2015
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  8. Jul 18, 2015 at 12:51 AM
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    sqa4life

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    sqa4life Well-Known Member

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    Can you please post the JBL speaker's models or link in Amazon, if possible? thx
     
    sqa4life, Jul 18, 2015
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  9. Jul 18, 2015 at 7:30 AM
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    jamiec

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    jamiec Man who keep hands in pockets feel cocky all day

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    jamiec, Jul 18, 2015
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  10. Jul 18, 2015 at 9:58 AM
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    North222

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    North222 Well-Known Member

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    North222, Jul 18, 2015
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  11. Jul 18, 2015 at 10:17 AM
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    sqa4life

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    sqa4life Well-Known Member

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    Thank you.

    For some reason Amazon said GTO628 (2-way) does not fit 2013 double cab. GTO638 (3-way) does fit. Weird. They are the same size (6 1/2).
    $130 GTO938 JBL GTO939 GTO Series 6x9" 300W 3 Way Black Car Coaxial Audio Speakers Stereo
    GTO938 6x9 fits.
    I added both GTO628 and GTO638 to the cart for now. Which pair is better?
     
    sqa4life, Jul 18, 2015
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  12. Jul 18, 2015 at 12:27 PM
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    jamiec

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    jamiec Man who keep hands in pockets feel cocky all day

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    They fit, I just forgot to mention that you need an adapter ring. Personally (because I have them) I would go with 3 way speakers. I can't stress enough on how good it sounds over stock. My wife thought I was wasting money until she heard it. Make sure if you order the Metra speaker adapters (in the list below) that you order a quantity of 2, because 1 pack is for 2 speakers, obviously.

    Anyway, I will link all that I bought so you can see.
    $130 JBL GTO939 GTO Series 6x9" 300W 3 Way Black Car Coaxial Audio Speakers Stereo
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003KN2TGM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003KN2TEY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

    $17 Metra 82-8146 6" x 9" Front Speaker Adapter for Select Lexus and Toyota Vehicles, Black, Apple
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IIC6CPE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages01
    $17 Metra Electronics 82-8148 6" to 6-3/4" Speaker Adapter for Select Toyota/Lexus/Scion 1998-Up Vehicles, Black
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IIC63P8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00
    $10 Metra 72-8104 Speaker Connector for Select Toyota Vehicles, MULTI COLOR
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002BBP7Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

    I got all the above just to replace the speakers. Below is the amp and amp install kit. I got this because I'm using my factory head unit. But I'll post it too incase your interested.
    Clarion XC1410 300W XC Series Micro 4-Channel Class-D Compact Design Car Amplifier
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B43LKV0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
    $28 BOSS Audio Systems KIT2 8 Gauge Complete Car Amplifier Installation Wiring Kit with Power Cables, Ground Cables, Turn-On Wire, Speaker Wire, Terminals
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FKP7TY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
     
    jamiec, Jul 18, 2015
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  13. Jul 18, 2015 at 1:20 PM
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    sqa4life

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    sqa4life Well-Known Member

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    Awesome! Thank you.
    All that for under 300 bucks. Wow!
     
    sqa4life, Jul 18, 2015
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  14. Jul 18, 2015 at 1:26 PM
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    Jocoma

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    Jocoma Well-Known Member

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    Jocoma, Jul 18, 2015
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  15. Jul 18, 2015 at 1:43 PM
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    sqa4life

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    sqa4life Well-Known Member

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    The listing said 1 6x9 and 1 6 1/2. I guess you need two of each and no amp, no brackets for speakers. Thank you.
     
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    sqa4life, Jul 18, 2015
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  16. Jul 18, 2015 at 2:24 PM
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    jamiec

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    jamiec Man who keep hands in pockets feel cocky all day

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    Are you planning on the amp as well?

    If so you should get these to make life a little easier.

    http://m.ebay.com/orderDetails?itemId=271334896780&txnId=1505057115017

    http://m.ebay.com/orderDetails?itemId=331588739913&txnId=1162059055014

    You can use this to splice the amp inline with the speakers. It beats cutting the stock harness up. There is a write up on how to use it on here by a guy named weendoggy.
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2015
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    jamiec, Jul 18, 2015
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  17. Jul 22, 2015 at 8:24 PM
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    sqa4life

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    sqa4life Well-Known Member

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    I contacted crutchfield and they recommended these:

    JBL GT7-96 GT7 Series 6"x9" 3-way car speakers
    http://www.crutchfield.com/p_109JBLG796/JBL-GT7-96.html

    JBL GT7-6
    GT7 Series 6-3/4" 2-way car speakers
    http://www.crutchfield.com/p_109JBLG76/JBL-GT7-6.html

    $179.98 for 2 pairs. wiring harnesses and mounting brackets are included for free. Free shipping and no tax. Free technical support too.

    Clarion Mobile Electronics XC1410 D-Class 4-Channel Amplifier
    Clarion XC1410 300W XC Series Micro 4-Channel Class-D Compact Design Car Amplifier
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B43LKV0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
    $89.93

    179.98 + 89.93 = $269.91
     
    sqa4life, Jul 22, 2015
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  18. Jul 23, 2015 at 7:26 AM
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    jamiec

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    jamiec Man who keep hands in pockets feel cocky all day

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    Looks like a good deal!
     
    jamiec, Jul 23, 2015
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  19. Jul 26, 2015 at 9:42 AM
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    jamiec

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    jamiec Man who keep hands in pockets feel cocky all day

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    I just got 2 kicker comp 10's and a kicker zx300 amp from my neighbor for free. So I'm in the middle of building a box for just 1 of the 10's right now. I'm not sure if I want to run both. If the 1 isn't enough I'll order a pre built box off eBay and use both.
     
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    jamiec, Jul 26, 2015
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  20. Aug 31, 2015 at 7:44 PM
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    AZ TXPRO

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    AZ TXPRO Well-Known Member

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    what did you all do for tweeters?

    did the kicker kit (with tweeters) ever work out?

    I have a factory JBL set-up and am looking to do simple upgrade.
     
    AZ TXPRO, Aug 31, 2015
    #20
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