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JBL Premium Worth

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by radasca, Oct 15, 2015.

  1. Oct 16, 2015 at 11:59 AM
    #61
    Dean724

    Dean724 Well-Known Member

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    Because the average consumer is a full blown audiophile right?

    It doesn't have to be studio sound to be a decent good sounding stock system for the average consumer. Bose, JBL, Harmon Kardon, ect. are great packages for most looking for good sound in their vehicles.

    If you're that much of an enthusiast you're naturally going to upgrade as you see fit for your musical preference anyway.
     
    TacoBella likes this.
  2. Oct 16, 2015 at 12:12 PM
    #62
    Joe23

    Joe23 Canuckistikian

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    its not about being an audiophile.

    The fact is its no different than Monster headphones.
    You get great advertising thats all. Bose is no different.
    You pay $300 for a pair of monster headphones that have the sound quality of a cheap $80 pair of sony headphones. vs spending that $300 on some Sennheisers or AKG and having actual quality and durability. I have had a set of Senn HD-25 headphones for 8 years now, only problem I ever had was a broken ear piece that got destroyed from me walking away from my turn tables and mixer and having them pulled too hard. $50 bought me a replacement right ear speaker and they're good as new. If I had the other heavily advertised versions that aren't replaceable parts like that I'd be out a set of headphones. Not to mention I'm yet to hear anything besides AKG and Sennheiser not distort at high volumes. And the point isn't that not everyone needs it. Its that many buy monster because they are heavily advertised, some sort of fashion statement or status symbol, but for that same money you could buy something so much better with way better durability.

    Bose is the same case. You pay big bucks to say you have a bose system, and car companies are smart about it. Advertise it because it has a huge brand name to it, makes everyone think oh they really care they're putting a good system in. But those that know something about audio know for the price it is no where close to worth it. The fact is what they probably pay for a Bose system like Nissan uses they could put a much better Clarion, Alpine or JL system in and it will sound even better. BUT it doesn't have that heavily advertised name to it.

    Thats the point @Aw9d and I are trying to get at.
    It might be enough for the average person. But to someone that knows and cares about it, that same money could buy way better.

    I would love to buy a car or truck and be happy with whats in it and not need to change it myself. Paying for it isn't the issue, its that with what I am paying they could use way better stuff.
     
    Spuds_McKenzie, Aw9d and atrouth like this.
  3. Oct 16, 2015 at 12:32 PM
    #63
    TacomaMike37

    TacomaMike37 Well-Known Member

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    I definitely agree with what you are saying regarding people paying up for brand name stuff so they can say they own brand name stuff and have that look at me type of attitude! Dudes bragging about their overpriced BOSE systems (which I own, but was a hand me down and I think it sounds great) or fancy red Beats headphones, those people are important , because they keep the economy going with their frivolous brand name spending; but............ those people I believe are different then those that pay up for a vehicle with say JBL, BOSE, etc.

    Hear me out here, the average joe has no clue what speaker or amp headunit to buy much less how to install. They do know what sounds good and what sounds like shit. JBL sounds great in the Tacoma ( stock audio setup in base taco's is borderline criminal) yeah its pricey but what other option does the average consumer have. Should they go to Crutchfield and look at the 100's of different setups available, then pay some teenager/ electronics monkey to install it. Most would say hell no. To your point, how much better does a clarion/alpine system really sound when compared to a jbl setup to the average person? Guaranteed a majority of people would say they both sound great and wouldnt be able to differentiate. Its like wine. Read a article a few days ago about 10 professional wine experts who did a blind taste test of a dozen or so different wines, ranging from $7 -$120 a bottle. Those clowns couldn't differentiate between the low and high priced wine, and in the end a $10 bottle was judged their favorite, while the most expensive fell mid pack.
     
  4. Oct 16, 2015 at 12:45 PM
    #64
    TacoBella

    TacoBella Well-Known Member

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    To the human ear , Sound is subjective, Few would want listen to a stereo that provided accurate to original Freq response. They want the bass to kick stronger.Beef up the highs. Most people that use EQ drop the middle out and foorm a U Shaped EQ Curve,

    I do background pads for various customers in a Studio I have at home. There is a very wide swath when it comes to sound EQ and dynamic range. Dependent on whether its for a Video game or Phone app or live background tracks. Most competitive sound systems exceed what's in most top end recording studios. Many still carry around Yamaha NSM10's to mix on! No auto sound enthusiast wants a truly flat and accurate sound system.

    IF looking at a wave file of most of today's music one can see tracks that are slammed bereft of any dynamic range.
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2015
  5. Oct 16, 2015 at 12:48 PM
    #65
    Joe23

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    I get your point I guess the part I didn't really mention is, JBL are actually decent for sound quality. I wont lie one of my first systems was JBL. For the price they aren't usually bad (except from what toyota is selling it for)

    And yes where you install it greatly matters as well sometimes you could have a great system but in the wrong atmosphere it wont sound good. The problem I have with JBL and Bose(minus its price) is yes they both have reasonable sound quality. BUT especially with JBL they are not durable at all. You push it a little and it either distorts or blows your speakers.

    The durability isn't as high in them.

    In all honesty I'm even considering the JBL upgrade just to have a lot of the wiring done for me haha. I really want to know what size wire they run for the amp on the sub. If the full JBL package upgrade was offered at say around $400 it'd be fair to me. $700 is a bit too much to me though.

    I do get your point with the wine though. I've had cheap wine and expensive wine, hell the wine my family usually makes is better to me than an expensive wine. When I worked service I was in a restaurant once and the owner offered myself and my coworker a drink, asked us what we thought of it told him I thought it was disgusting, he then told me it was a $700 bottle of wine. I've been in some of the most expensive restaurants in Toronto and tried the stuff for free, I would never pay for it.
    But its also different at the same time. Wine etc is an acquired taste, good sound is good sound. Honestly at times I almost feel audio can have an almost placebo effect on people. Tell them its an expensive system and they will 'hear' it better than it really is because in their mind they believe it is a better system.
     
  6. Oct 16, 2015 at 12:52 PM
    #66
    Joe23

    Joe23 Canuckistikian

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    I was talking to one of my instructors from trade school recently about this actually since I am back for a training seminar on solar electric, and we were talking about it since hes a huge audio buff and we were talking about how even with these FLAC or 320kbit MP3 files, the sound from vinyl is still better than any. The reason being is the way the sound actually is. Vinyl is a wave and our hearing is more towards a wave form, where as FLAC etc will give you a square wave which our hearing cant hear. He also went on to explain that he was talking to one of the ladies that signs for the deaf students, she was saying that digital audio is actually worse for our hearing than analog.
     
    TacoBella[QUOTED] likes this.
  7. Oct 16, 2015 at 1:01 PM
    #67
    VetteVert

    VetteVert Well-Known Member

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    They are not square waves, they are steps.... So minute in the top end codecs that you cannot distinguish them. You may prefer the imperfections compounded from vinyl (you're not alone) but to say you can hear the square edges is a bit much. And how exactly is that digital music making it to your ears?
     
  8. Oct 16, 2015 at 1:11 PM
    #68
    Joe23

    Joe23 Canuckistikian

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    from what I understands its not that you can hear them. Its that our ears are used to hearing in a wave which is how we hear everything in day to day whether it be talking to someone or your engine. Because of that, it is more pleasing to the ear than a digital step wave would be. Our ears are basically tuned to hear a wave. He explained it with a drawing of a typical sine wave.

    But those steps supposedly bother our hearing more so than a wave would, causing more hearing damage.
     
  9. Oct 16, 2015 at 1:28 PM
    #69
    border411

    border411 Well-Known Member

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    With the JBL system, would it be easy to replace the sub and amp powering it with something better in the future? Just figured if I went the P&T package, might as well spend the extra $700 for the JBL. If it doesnt go deep enough, replace the amp and sub (possibly using the same enclosure).
     
  10. Oct 16, 2015 at 1:47 PM
    #70
    TacoBella

    TacoBella Well-Known Member

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    The natural compression Vinyl has (especially when mixed from magnetic tape which is also naturally compressed) is much more pleasing to the ear. The problem is keeping dust and static off the platter, I can remember pulling the vinyl out and listening for the first time to an unplayed record. I wished at that time I would have had an audiophile system.

    Digital music sounds more 'brittle" in comparison to analog (tape and Vinyl)

    I listen to those 70's tracks in the Tacoma (from James Taylor to Led Zepplin) and hear so much musical information I missed back in the day, I have 1000 songs in a playlist for the 70's The dynamic range sucks but the details are there. They don't take full advantage of the JBL System,but i have some orchestral Jon Lord and Gino Vanelli tracks that do
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2015
  11. Oct 16, 2015 at 2:11 PM
    #71
    Joe23

    Joe23 Canuckistikian

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    clean sweep is for speakers not subwoofers.
    also...you might want to look into that set up a lot better...if I remember right the JX1000 is a single channel amp, depending how you set it up you cant run two 13tw5s.

    ALSO not sure if you've ever heard them. the tws aren't all that great just so you're aware. If you're looking for a small one check out the W3v3. I had a single 12 for a while its pretty good. EDIT: I'm thinking of the TW3 not TW5. The TW5 are pretty good, shouldn't disappoint. Also a single 13 should be more than enough, running two will be way too much bass.

    I'm currently running a single 13inch w7ae. incredible but might be out of your price range lol.
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2015
  12. Oct 16, 2015 at 2:38 PM
    #72
    bdunna

    bdunna Well-Known Member

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    I did exactly this. I refused due to having everything but the jbl. Built in, hidden, subwoofer with amp. Sorry, even the best stereo shop can't do it like factory. Will it hit like a couple of super powered 12's, no. But will it kick a bit off deep ass bass? Yes. Will anyone try to steal it, no.

    If you want bass that will rattle your chest cavity go aftermarket. If you just like a bit of bump then go jbl.
     
    TacoBella[QUOTED] likes this.
  13. Oct 16, 2015 at 2:41 PM
    #73
    Joe23

    Joe23 Canuckistikian

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    too bad I i think its only offered on the limited in canada
     
  14. Oct 16, 2015 at 2:52 PM
    #74
    bdunna

    bdunna Well-Known Member

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    You beat me to the beats comment. Good advertising, great backing, and trendy design. Kids love these things and will pay top dollar
     
  15. Oct 16, 2015 at 11:59 PM
    #75
    bsacamano

    bsacamano Well-Known Member

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    The Enhanced Premium Sound Package was $1,900. Definitely worth every penny.
     
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  16. Oct 17, 2015 at 12:12 PM
    #76
    radasca

    radasca [OP] Member

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    Thanks, all. Yes, I liked the JBL sound and it seems worth it.

    A couple of related questions: does Entune have hands-free phone answer operation through BlueTooth? I am not clear from Toyota's site about this since their Entune information focuses on device compatibility and summary features.

    Also, are apps that are not embedded with Entune work well through BlueTooth? I use Spotify and read on Toyotaworld that the Entune system thinks the user is playing the car system's native Slacker or Pandora, and keeps switching to it.
    Has any of you encountered issues in this area?

    Last and related, my phone has not apparently been tested with Entune. I have a Galaxy Note 4 and will get a Note 5 soon; none have been officially test. A tad weird, these are expensive phones, but Toyota's focus seems to be on mainstream Apple/Pandora marketing.
    Anyone out there have these Samsung phablets and using them with Entune premium?
     
  17. Oct 17, 2015 at 9:40 PM
    #77
    James_Bond

    James_Bond Well-Known Member

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    Maybe I've missed it on this thread.

    How big is the sub?

    I thought it was 8". Is it?

    Thanks in advanced.

    I'm looking towards the route of getting the premium and tech w/o JBL.

    My plan is to by my own (sub 10" maybe) and am and integrate it to the stock head unit. Should cost me $500. But that would be buying top of the line amp and sub(300 watts rms).
     
  18. Oct 17, 2015 at 9:50 PM
    #78
    TacoBella

    TacoBella Well-Known Member

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    I used the Note 5 and the S6 with my Entune. Apps run great. IQI Charging would not charge my Note 5. Samsung is aware of the issue with QI Charging on the note 5 and states a new wireless base will be coming out that delivers enough juice to charge the Note 5
    If you want to use the QI system make sure you test the Note 5 on a wirelss charger and the trucks QI.

    I tried for two weeks and four chargers to make it work. Finally talked to Samsung and they are "aware of the issue" and expect an update and new charger base.

    I returned it for the S6. No problems at all.
    Someone here claims theirs works but a google search may give you pause.....

    There are some "workarounds" that are working for some but not others...Like putting the phone in "daydream mode" Didn't work for me. I want a device that the truck will charge. I installed a wireless pad in y MX5 as well.

    https://www.google.com/webhp?source...TF-8#q=Note+5+wireless+charging+issue&es_th=1

    On the bright side , its nice to have a smaller phone after the Note 1,2,4,5
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2015
    radasca[QUOTED][OP] likes this.
  19. Oct 18, 2015 at 5:32 PM
    #79
    Crashmaxwell

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    Bought my 13 TRD OR used with the JBL system. I guess Im getting old but I did not want to mess with the stereo, I just wanted it to sound good.
    I think it sounds great and every one who has got in my truck agrees!!
     
    radasca[OP] and TacoBella like this.
  20. Oct 18, 2015 at 6:48 PM
    #80
    TacoBella

    TacoBella Well-Known Member

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    IMG_1532.jpg
    I cannot imagine spending $1900 on a truck sound system....and I work and own a Sound Studio in my home and do projects for a lot of businesses.
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2015
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