Have the Canadian 2020 TRD Off-road, non-JBL.

About to pull the trigger and I keep debating on the amp portion. Not to gloss over it effectively doubles the price of the audio system, I'm wondering if anyone has any first-hand accounts of comparing JUST the speaker replacement vs speaker replacement AND the amplifier? (I am not planning to do the subwoofer).

More than anything, while the installation video seems straightforward I am mostly a bit overwhelmed thinking about doing all the steps and removing everything without damaging or breaking something..

And, of course, does having the amp basically making the sound replacement 2x better?

If the speaker replacement is 2x better over stock, than is having the amp 4x better?

Here is my post from another thread. Long story short, the amp with the DSP makes a tremendous difference.

———————————————————————-

When I switched from my Lexus GS-350 to my current 2020 4Runner TRD ORP everything exceeded my expectations except for one thing, the sound system. I am a little bit of an audiophile to say the least but never thought twice about the sound system in my Lexus, which wasn’t even the upgraded Mark Levinson. It just sounded really nice. I believe when I first purchased the car I bumped the bass up by a notch or two and that was it.

In my 4Runner, I found myself constantly adjusting the EQ with no avail. It just sounded bad.

So I started my journey. I researched all sorts of upgrades and they all brought me back to OEM Audio Plus, but there was no way I was going to pay that kind of money to resolve my sound quality issues. There had to be a better way to do it for less, right?

Anyway…

The first upgrade I did was to swap out my front tweeters for a pair of Kicker tweeters. This made a nice difference in the high end but the mid to mid-bass was still hollow and muddy.

So after a few weeks, I ordered a pair of Focal IS 690TOY component speakers and sold my Kicker tweeters to a friend for a $10 loss. After installing the Focal 6x9s and accompanying tweeters I was much happier with the detail and clarity but the overall sound still wasn’t right.

At this point I knew that an amp and DSP were in my future so when I found a deal on a pair of Focal IC 165TOY 6.5” rear coaxial speakers I jumped on them. The rear speakers actually made a difference by pulling the sound stage back a little but did little else to improve the overall sound quality. To me, the signal coming from the head-unit made the Focal’s midrange sound way too pronounced, almost megaphone like and the tweeters were very harsh. Again, I found myself constantly adjusting the EQ to no avail. The best setting for this setup was flat on the bass, midrange set to two from the bottom and treble down a notch or two from the middle.

So….

I then started researching DSPs and amps. From the Kicker KEY all the way up to AudioControl. While researching I kept running into raving reviews about OEM Audio Plus, so I thought let me call them and see what their DSP actually does. Will it fix the poor quality signal coming out of my head-unit designed for Toyota’s crappy paper speakers with nickel sized magnets and no real tweeters? Will their DSP and amp work properly with my Focal speakers?

After about 30 minutes over 3 different calls to OEM Audio Plus, Daniel answered all of my questions including my last one which was, “If I don’t like it, can I return it for a full refund?” His answer was “Absolutely, as long as you give us a chance to fix any hardware or installation issues.”

A little about their customer service…

I ordered the System 500 with the dedicated sub amp on Wednesday May 27th, when I asked Daniel when it would ship he said that everything should ship in the middle of the next week except for the possibility of the adapter for the new 2020 head unit. On Thursday June 4th, I received an email saying “Great news! Your O+ Sound Solution was shipped”. I sent Daniel an email asking if that meant the adapter shipped as well and he replied after 6:00pm letting me know that the adapter didn’t make it in time but he has it now and will run it to the post office in an attempt to get it to me in time for my weekend installation plans. About halfway thru my installation on Saturday the priority USPS package with the adapter arrived. That is great service in my book.


The install…

Everything went smooth but getting the cables over the top of the glove compartment was a pain in the a$$. Luckily my son who is 6’3” with LONG arms was available to assist.

When the built-in NAV and two of the speakers weren’t working I left a voicemail for support and Daniel called me back in about 5 minutes. He knew it had to be the connectors behind the head-unit and when I started to wiggle the unit back out to check, the speakers came alive. I then pulled it out and properly snapped the connectors into place. I did find an additional connector that I failed to plug back in that resolved the NAV issue. Don’t judge, there are a ton of connectors on the 2020 head-unit.

Sound quality…

Amazing!!! I have the EQ set to flat (middle on all three). They did send me a pair of their tweeters so I put them in to compare them to my Focal tweeters. The OEM Audio tweeters were less bright or harsh and blended better, bringing the vocals up to about windshield height. Beautiful. Speaking of imaging, to say this system is tuned for the driver is an understatement. When you are in the passenger seat you can definitely hear the passenger side speaker more then the driver’s side. When you are in the driver’s seat it is spot on perfect! Mid range is strong but never overpowering, the treble is beautifully clean and clear but never harsh or shrill and the bass is tight and never overly boomy or annoying. As far as what genres of music do I listen too? I enjoy all genres of music, pop, country, jazz, reggie, singer song writer and even some hip hop on occasion.

In case you can’t tell I am very satisfied with my new OEM Audio Plus setup. If my story sounds like what you are currently going thru and you would like to have high quality audio in your 4Runner, just bite the bullet and buy the OEM Audio Plus solution.

Colt

Just going with the speakers made the sound much better BUT I was on an aftermarket headunit. I'd definitely get the amp with the stock headunit.

Why no sub?

Great review, but I refuse to believe you were satisfied with the stock headlights on your 4Runner, lol.

I am selling my 500Q with all speakers and sub if you are interestd in buying. askign $1250 CAD plus shipping from Toronto Ontario. I am missing AUX input in my 2020 to play Hi-Res Audio taht I enjoyed in my older runner with this setup, and therefore selling it and adding Sony hi-Res setup (RSX-GS9 with speakers sub super tweeters etc).

Thanks for this post 4xColt ! The content is very valuable. It shows that you spent time researching this and you have managed to turn it into an incredible piece of valuable content.

I can't really respond to your question regarding OEM audio plus speakers with / without the amp, because I just went all in with the kit. But I wanted to weigh in and say that I can't say enough good things about the OEM audio plus kit. The sound is incredible now, and all it was before the upgrade was incredibly disappointing.

Well, just placed my order! Can't wait!!!

Congrats! You will not be disappointed.

Colt

We all know who to blame if I am...

This is probably what I am going to do but haven't pulled the trigger yet. If the front and tweets sound good I'd consider also getting the back seats.

Awesome! Be sure to reply black to this thread after you get it installed!

I've written a couple of other reviews on here somewhere if you wanna search for em, but no need since the kit is in the mail. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! I had a choice between getting some hearing aids or the OEM audio kit and I think I chose wisely.

Just self-installed the OEM Plus Speaker Upgrade in my 2015 non-JBL 4RUNNER today.

What a difference, even with the stock head unit and no additional amp!

Much better clarity, separation, and tone all the way around. Moreover, these speakers are much more efficient than OEM resulting in less volume input needed for the same sound level.

After reading this thread, I think I'm going to buy the Amp/DSP with wiring harness package (no sub) to take the sound to the next level.

I've OEM+ speakers only and don't need amp since there is plenty power from factory unit and sound clarity is superb. If you are doing your own install, may I suggest sound deadening for doors because it makes huge difference (keep in mind that rear tailgate will get too heavy with that material for stock struts). There are plenty affordable options on Amazon (I used this:
Amazon.com: Siless 80 mil (2mm) 36 sqft Car Sound Deadening mat - Butyl Automotive Sound Deadener - Noise Insulation and Vibration Dampening Material (36 sqft) : Automotive

Anyone have any experience with the Kicker speaker set vs OEM+?

Both seem to be plug-n-play custom speaker sets for 5th Gen 4Runners,

OEM+ (just speakers $699.00), 50W RMS per speaker, lowest range from 6x9 is 50hz

Kicker (just speakers currently $588.00), 100W RMS for 6x9/Tweeter combo and 15-100W for 6.5", 6x9 goes as low as 30hz

I'm planning on keeping the stock head unit but using a ~100 watts x 4 amplifier to power the speakers. From what I can find, the front two speakers are one wired together set of speakers and the back door and hatch are one set of speakers wired together.