Took the plunge

Installed the SO b8pt behind the passenger side back seat. I set it up partially and so far it sounds really good. It has a solid hit when set up right. at first the lower freq's were muddy but some adjustments with the head unit and the sub cleaned it all up. It will not shake your neighbors windows but that is not what i wanted. I adjusted it to add a little hit to the lows and it definately does that.

 

Pulled the doors to take a look at the door speakers and compare it to the Polk's
WOW!!! what a difference! The magnets on the stockers are tiny and the material the cones are made out of is garbage. I am really amazed of the sound that they did make. I cant believe that it was even tollerable. Any speaker would be a huge upgrade to these! I will be installing the brackets and speakers today and then start tuning the system.

 

^ BAH look at that magnet of the stock speaker!!!! lol bout the size of a quarter Nice install OP! Hope the rest goes well

 

Ya, the stockers are a joke!! I did the install in stages partially because it is cold but mostly so that I could note the differences. First I replaced the head unit. I was amazed at the difference just the head unit made. It was a night and day change. The sound was stronger and the level of adjustability helps alot. I was able to make the speakers sound better, not great, but better. They were not so muddy and i didnt have to raise the volume as much. Then I added the amp. It cleaned up the sound and definitely provided a more powerful clearer, crisper sound. I then installed the Subwoofer it helped with the overall sound. It filled in the low's and gave the system quite a kick. Some are saying that they hardly got any base from it. I could see that with a stock headunit. With the Pioneer AVH X5500, and a some simple adjustments it really kicks and gives a good punch.

 

Does the ASWC-1 allow you to use the steering wheel controls for the bluetooth phone functions or just volume controls? Also does the usb interface allow you to use the stock usb input?

 

All steering wheel functions are working. I did a quick check yesterday as I was finishing up.

The USB interface did not work at all. The connector is wrong for the 2012. I will hard wire it in at a later date. for right now i have the usb cable that came with the X5500 ran to my glove box.

 

Finished with the install late last night. The door speakers took some modifications because I soldered everything instead of just plugging in with the crutchfield connectors. It took forever since the wind was blowing and it was very cold. I will eventually replace the stock wiring with good speaker wire. It works good for now though. I would like to mat the doors, but it is currently too cold (mid to high 30's) and would make the job virtually impossible. Once the summer hits and it warms up I will mat the doors and rear bulkhead. I installed the KTP 445U above the glove box on the plastic shelf that is there. It fit perfectly and is held inplace using industrial grade velcro. I didnt want to drill holes in the plastic. It takes like 5 minutes to get to it for adjustment so no big deal. I have the gains set fairly close right now so I am pretty sure that any adjustments necessary can be made using the deck. I played around with it a little yesterday and it sounds so much better than the stock system did. There is a solid but not overbearing thump from the sub and the speakers are incredibly clear and crisp. I will take more pictures during the day to post with everything installed.

 

here is a couple of pics of the AVH X5500 during the day.

 

That looks awesome. Mine should be here any day now. Do you still have all fuctionality of the buttons on your steering wheel? Also, what adapter did you use?

 

Thanks PVT Pablo! what deck are you getting? I am able to utilize all functions of the steering wheel. I used the ASWC-1 for the steering wheel interface. Crutchfield has the ASWC which works for the volume controls, but I have read that alot of people had trouble getting the phone functions to work so I went with the ASWC-1. I had to reprogram (reset) it a couple of times since i had the battery connected to test parts of the install and then disconnected again. The first time it did not maintain functions of the bluetooth. the second time it did. there is a section in the instruction manual (in the installing a previously installed ASWC-1 section) that has you holding down the pick up/hang up button for a few seconds once it has self programmed. I missed that the first time. It works like a champ now though. The dash kit is a Metra. It worked well for me but did require me to put my stock clips on it to hold better. It is tight now.

 

I ordered the same head unit you have, the AVH-X5500BHS. Heres my parts list, Pioneer AVH-X5500BHS, Metra Dash Kit (Grey), PAC TATO JBL harness interface, Metra ASWC steering wheel control, and

$10 Metra 70-8114 Steering Wheel Control Wire Harness with RCA for 2003-Up Select Toyota/Scion/Lexus Vehicles

Metra 70-8114 ASCW adapter (so I don't have to splice wires for the steering wheel controls). It looks like we have essentially the exact same setup, except I'm not replacing the speakers (yet) since I have the JBL speakers.

 

I have not had any issues with the Metra kit other than it feeling sloppy until i utilized the stock clips. I have not had any issues with the bezel surrounding the hazard button. I did test it a few times to make sure before I replied.

 

Looking good man

 

How do you like the X5500 now that you've had it for a couple weeks? I'm thinking of getting the same head unit. Where did you order it from?

 

i am looking for a good DVD player for my taco, does it play DVD while truck is in motion? where and how much did you pay. Thanks

 

I got it from crutch field and I do love it. Does everything I wants and more! No problems with sinking to the android.

 

It can but you must get a parking brake bypass. There is only one that consistently works for the 5500. It is on Amazon and is like $20. Can't rember the name of it right now. I m not at home or I would check the name. I ordered through crutch field and it was 450. It was well worth the price. I know that you can get it a little bit cheaper if you order from other places but I live in Alaska where shipping just the head unit woul have been at least another $70 just for shipping. not to mention all of the other stuff (amp, DXI'S, subwoofer, etc) who knows what shippin would have cost me for all of it. free with crutchfield so overall it was cheaper for me.

 

So what do you think of the

$290 Alpine KTP-445U Universal Power Pack

Alpine KTP-445U? I was thinking of using one to run my new door speakers (JBL GTO components) instead of putting a 4channel amp under my seat. I have seen pretty good reviews on it so far, but just wondering how it worked for you.

 

• This item: Pioneer AVH-X4500BT 2-DIN Multimedia DVD Receiver with 7 In. Touchscreen Display and Bluetooth by Pioneer Mobile $322.72
• Parking Brake Override Bypass Fully Automatic Video in Motion for Pioneer Models AVH-X1500DVD AVH-X2500BT AVH-X3500BHS AVH-X4500BT AVH-X5500BHS by MicroBypass $19.99
• Metra Axxess ASWC Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface (Black) $51.99

 

thats from Amazon, hope to get this set up
also need the install kit for this truck for a double din