New 6.5" speakers - Need opinions!

Installed new JL Audio 6.5" 2 ways in the front doors of my '10 Access Cab this afternoon. Turned on the stock headunit to make sure they were working (they were) and they did not sound as good as the stock 6x9s I took out. Much less bass.

I'm upgrading the headunit to a Kenwood tomorrow (didn't get it done this afternoon as I'm working through the SWI-JACK install).

My question is will they come to life with the new headunit, or am I in for disappointment?

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks.

 

I still have stock speakers, but I changed my deck out for a kenwood. It's only a $160 deck, but it made a huge difference in bass with the stock speakers.

 

Technically you're better off changing the headunit first and speakers after. I didn't do this,doope! I found some ********* adaptors cheap and recycled some infinity 6x9's and Boston acoustic 6.5's and the results were not that impressive and I have the JBL "premium" sound. However it did make a difference with just the 6x9's, the 6.5's need more power because they sounded a lot better in my old single cab with a Kenwood HU.

 

Bump

 

I think maybe purchasing a small amp to power your components would get you the quality your looking for. I have my 6.5 Image Dyanmics powered by an amp and they sound AMAZING!

 

Thanks all for the posts. Just got the new Kenwood HU hooked up and the speakers sound amazing! Shows what sort of crap Toyota uses for stock stereo systems. Now if I can only figure out the SWI-JACK steering wheel control interface, I'll be on my way... Lol. Thanks again all!!

 

make sure you hold the buttons when setting them, just pressing them will still cause the light to flash but you need to hold them until it lights up

 

Thanks orvis. It wasn't as hard as I thought. I crunched one of the ground wires and forgot to hook it back up- it just sort of blended in with the rest of the rats nest. Everything works as advertised. Sounds great!!

 

looking for ideas. but im looking to use the stock HU. does anyone have suggestions on what to get? i want fuller sound, dont need door rattling bass. do i need 4 channel amps ? where do i put it? Does the stock unit have pre amp outputs?

 

bumping this, have the same question

 

Once you run an amp to those components...it will get louder and cleaner. I suggest an amp when doing components but not necessary.

 

a new hu is the cheapest way to get cleaner, fuller sound. if you simply upgrade the speakers you could end up with this guys problem. if you still want to keep the stock hu you have to add an amp. you can put an amp wherever you want, make sure you get one with speaker level inputs because the stock hu does not have rca outputs

 

Or he could buy something like a JL Clean sweep and convert his speaker level outputs to line level outputs.

 

Also, ive done some price comparison, and buying items from Amazon Vs Crutchfield amazon always wins. Are those sheets that crutchfield offers any good? worth the extra price? and last - where is the firewall hole for the AMP power cable? thanks for the help guys

 

People don't shop at Crutchfield because it is cheap. People shop at Crutchfield because of their excellent customer service, and the accessories you get when you purchase from them (adapters or dash kits), when bought separately usually nearly add up to what you can get everything for from a different authorized dealer.

It's not always worth it to buy from Crutchfield, but sometimes it is the smart move.

 

It definitely does not have rca outputs. Speaker level inputs aren't required on an amp, but they can be used. Crutchfield/BestBuy/etc sell a converter that allows you to quick splice the speaker outputs behind the stereo and will connect to RCAs.

Little expensive, but would do the job quite nicely!!

Firewall hole is on drivers side all the way left (where the main harness comes in below the brake reservoir under the hood; see fog light install thread for pics).

Customer service and dash kit/speaker mounts/wiring adapters/etc free of charge is worth the price.

IMO, upgrade the HU. The stock HU looks nice, but you can't, as they say, shine a poop (and don't feed me that Mythbusters crap).

 

i agree with the other guy a couple of posts up said about crutchfield. great customer service, come with dash kit and wire harness.

as for amp wire, there is a black round rubber plug you can pull to run teh amp wire. it's located below and to the side of the brakes. or you can be ghetto and run it thru the firewall with all the other wires.

 

Theres a plug close to the brake pedal? i didnt know that... how do i access it? splice it, then use rubber tape? or is it an actual plug that this is what its meant for?

 

Follow these instructions to the tee, and it will work-- guaranteed. One tip, i tinned the end of the wires going into the connector with a bit of solder to make sure they fit snugly. PM if you have any questions. Hope this helps.

EDIT-- here's the right link....

http://www.pac-audio.com/swixprogra...mSearch=Toyota&Submit2=Search+Vehicles&ID=354