Premium Audio Upgrade for less than $250

all the reviews i see on crutchfield about the

$100 43DSC69304 KICKER DSC6930 6x9" (160x230mm) 3-Way Speakers, 4-Ohm (Pair)

43DSC69304
tacoma related are all super positive

 

They are good speakers, it's all dependent on your head unit. As was pointed out to me, this thread is for vehicles that have the 'Premium' HU which has a better amp built in than mine the base 'Audio' HU. Apparently there are up to 4 different HU in the Tacoma... Audio, Audio Plus, Premium & Premium JBL. The built in amp will decide how much better the speakers will sound. If you have your original window sticker it will tell you which you have.

For me with the 'Audio' base unit I have lost volume and bass but have gained clarity in everyway, the base is more precise but not as much. Crutchfield have awesome return policy, buy them try them out, don't like them return them....

 

you where right, i installed the fronts yesterday and they sounded light sh*t
no bass at all, mids sounded thin.
took them right back out, returning them today.
2020 must have better speakers than previous years

 

pictures of OEM speakers you have?

 

These came out of my 2020 OR. 4ohm 20w. As far as I can tell pn-86160-AA440 is the same that has been used in all 3rd gen.

I'm pretty sure it's not sounding great because we have the base HU without a strong amp.

 

looks the same as what came out of my 2017 TRD Off Road. It may be your head unit can't drive the new speakers. The Key amp made a huge difference in sound stage and bass presence. I have the premium head unit and could tell the difference easily prior to the amp. I do think changing the back speakers are not worth it.

 

According to BAM wholesale this is the speaker used in the 2017, so I'm pretty sure its the same.

I understand the amp will make these speakers work like they should, but won't really help the rears. How do you get more volume out of the rear speakers, new head unit? Different amp? I'd really like to be surrounded by sound and not have it front staged.

But... depending on how much money I have to throw at it I may just stick with just the Subaru tweeters and put the stock speakers back in and be happy with just that. I'm finding myself going down a rabbit hole which is getting more and more expensive.

 

i thought it would be a cheap upgrade, but i am gonna let it be
back to stock for me, too old for loud music anyway

 

Anyone interested in the front and rear kicker speakers has a great opportunity right now from Crutchfield. They’re on sale right now, I bought them a few days ago at full price one negative, the rear wiring harness that crutchfield supplies free are on back order(Amazon doesn’t have them either). Either way, you can get this for $170.92 with free shipping! I paid $201.77 a few days ago...

Going to install the fronts tomorrow after work. Installed the Subaru Kicker tweeters yesterday and they’ve already improved the sound quality. Looking forward to hearing the difference with the front and eventually the rears.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I ordered some Kickers about 10 days ago so I'll call in the morning and get a refund for the difference.

 

Let me know if they refund, I’ll do the same then.

 

They have a 60 day price protection policy. So anything bought from their site goes down in price they'll refund the difference.

 

Did not know that, great thanks

 

which speakers did you order?

 

Kicker 46CSC6934 6"x9" 3-way Speakers
Item #20646CC693

Kicker 46CSC674 6-3/4" 2-way Speakers
Item #20646CC674

 

Have you done anything with sound deadening at all? Each time I pull a panel I put some of this material on the inside and each time the audio improves a little bit more, especially bass response.

$25 uxcell 315mil 10.76sqft/8mm 40 X40" Car Auto Cell Bumper Floor Sound Insulation Noise Deadener Dampening Mat Acoustic Barrier

https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-10-76...sulation+Noise+Deadener&qid=1602265010&sr=8-1

 

Let's see a pic of your 2020 speakers. I bet they are the same ones that were in my 2017 and my daughters 2016 Camry(paper with a dime for a magnet).

 

I have my speakers set up so that fade is to the rear 1 notch and to the right 1 notch. I find this centralizes the sound in the cabin and forces a bit more volume from the rear speakers.

 

Those are the same crap speakers I pulled from my 2017 Taco the weekend after i brought it home. I installed Infinity all around. They do require considerably more power from the HU to get pumping but after a few months of break-in they really sound much much better than the OEM crap. I have also been insulation the panels as I do various mods which has improved the acoustics considerably as well.

$25 uxcell 315mil 10.76sqft/8mm 40 X40" Car Auto Cell Bumper Floor Sound Insulation Noise Deadener Dampening Mat Acoustic Barrier

https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-10-76...sulation+Noise+Deadener&qid=1602265010&sr=8-1
Note, your source material will also have a lot to do with the sound quality. Don't expect any quality from Serius radio or much better from Bluetooth. The best quality will be from a high quality (320+) mp3 recording on a USB IMO.

 

Nope, not yet, I will add more power before going down that route. I’ve owned older vw’s my whole life and I have to say both my Tacoma and the Mrs RAV4 doors and sheet metal in general is really thin gauge metal.

Lol, that’s where I’m at too...

I’ve just finished a few days camping/driving so I’ve fully been able to test the speakers. I’m happy with the quality of the sound I just need more of it and especially from the rear speakers. The stock HU simply is not doing these speakers any justice.

I think I’m going to get a small kicker amp once I get my head around exactly what harnesses I need for the 2020 HU.

Another poster mentioned the kicker key180 will help balance the front and rear volume with the initial set up using pink noise... sounds like witch craft to me.