OEM AUDIO PLUS Reference 450Q Install in my ’17 Access Cab

Hey guys. I wanted to post my thoughts and observations on the OEM Audio Plus (OEMAP) Reference 450Q sound system upgrade for my ’17 Access Cab.

For those of you that are not familiar with OEMAP, they are an aftermarket supplier of quality audio products for Toyota, Scion and Subaru.

My Taco has the non-JBL sound system. While Toyota has substantially increased the quality of the stock system in the 3rd Gens, I wanted a little more volume and clarity. As a comparison, the stock system is my ’15 Taco sounded like a hand held AM radio to me. They were not all that great. As an old guy and a rocker from the late 60’s and 70’s with slightly bad hearing, I like to hear my tunes cranked up but without distortion at higher volume. The 450Q system fit the bill for me.

The system is “plug and play”. OEMAP advertises the product as such and they deliver. Included with the system is an amplifier, sub-woofer, front and rear door speakers, tweeters and a complete wiring harness. The 450Q is specifically made and tuned for the 3rd Gen Access Cab.

I have attached some pictures, this is not a “how to” post. There are many posts that explain in detail how to remove door panels, dash components, etc. OEMAP provides an EXCELLENT on-line video that goes thru the step by step process of truck tear-down and installation. I watched it (2) times. My pics show the carton and all the contents (packed securely), the new speakers in the doors, amp under the seat and the sub.

I am not an audiophile and do not understand all the technical stuff about the system. For those that are interested, please see their web site for a complete technical review of each component.

Once I had the truck interior dis-assembled (I most likely did more than required around the dash area and glove box) the components were installed and the wiring harness routed.

· Amplifier – mounts under the seat, attaching to the seat frame and springs. I had to slightly bend one of the brackets to get everything lined up correctly. It does not interfere with seat operation or touch the floor.

· Sub – Mounts between the rear seats after the cubby is removed. I had to “slightly” enlarge the mounting holes to 25mm to allow installation of the seat belt bolts. This item by far is the nicest sub I have seen for a truck. It looks like a factory installation. Due to the height (slightly above the seats), you lose the ability to lay something flat across the seats . For me, not a big deal. The sub is mounted to “fire down”.

· Door speakers – about as simple to do as anything. Unplug old speaker and remove…..install new ones with factory bolts and plug in factory harness.

· Tweeters – not too simple to install as they are mounted in the dash tight to the front windshield. It helps to have a ratcheting 10mm wrench (not socket) to remove and install. The new ones plug into the factory harness.

· Wiring harness – Extremely nice. Very simple to install although it is a small challenge to get the harness up to the head unit and then the power lead out to the battery. The harness plugs right into the factory plugs at the head unit….no cutting, splicing or soldering required. The power lead (yellow wire) routes very cleanly to the battery and looks factory inside the provided wire plastic loom.

Overall, I am very happy with this system. My favorite part was the ease of installation and factory appearance. Everything fits as designed. Sound output (volume) is excellent. The sub is not a thumper but that is fine with me.

It took me around 7 hours to install from tear down to clean up including a lunch break and helping my wife put up our Xmas tree. Finally, the system is not cheap. It cost me $1449 shipped.

Finally, Daniel at OEMAP is a great guy to deal with. He provides EXCELLENT customer service. If there are any problems or questions, just call and more than likely, he will answer the phone himself or get back to you quickly.

Hope this review was helpful.

Donald

 

hoping to do this exact system and some dynamat while im in there at some point this winter. nice review!

 

system looks pretty sweet. How is it holding up? still loving the system?

 

After 5 months....I have zero issues. Everything works as designed. The system sounds great. To my 62 year old ears, there is plenty of sound to rock out Zeppelin, Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot!

Made it thru the winter with single digit temps.

Thanks for asking.

Donald

 

Bump

 

My 2016 TRD AC was the test/design truck I let OEM use for designing this system. I had written to them Mid-2016 asking for an AC option and they said they were thinking about it and were looking for a truck to design/test the system with. Well, I happened to live about 25 miles away and they asked if they could use my truck and they would give me a rental truck for a week and the system for free. Well, duh? I agreed immediately. Daniel and all the guys at OEM were awesome to work with, and kept me up to date daily with the work going on. They gave me my truck back after about a week, and it looked like it did the day I bought it except it had an amazing new audio system installed. The system was installed August of 2016. I had to go by their shop one time about 3 weeks after they installed it so they could test some new audio levels they had programmed for the production models. I would say if anyone is looking for an amazing system that will please anyone from audiophiles to average Joe's like me who like good music a little louder and clearer, this system is worth more than they charge. I get comments on the system from people everywhere. I don't even listen too loud, but people can definitely hear it is not a stock system from outside the truck. Inside the truck, everyone who rides with me is blown away by the sound quality. The bass is perfect and not over the top like a trunk rattling lowrider. The tweeters are crisp and all of the vocals and highs sound clear. It is like having a THX theater sound system in your Tacoma, all while using the stock Entune head unit. I have never had any issues with the system, even being the original test model truck. It has worked flawlessly and I could not be happier. Highly 100% recommend this system to all AC owners looking for a quality sound system.