Speaker Upgrade Time! Advice Requested
 

Hey fellow runners,

I have a 2016 4R Trail that has been great to me. Don't do too much in the dirt, but get a lot of play in the snow and mountains.

Currently looking to improve the road trip entertainment. Not looking to rattle the rear plate or create a competition car. Listen to everything, 90s hip hop, EDM, classic rock, reggae, jazz, classical

I consider myself to be an audio enthusiast (7.2.2 Focal Aria (Flax) with REL (very musical, not boomy) subs) at home. I am, however, new to the car audio world but understand the concepts of frequency, impedance, and importance of tuning a system.

Already changed out the factory head unit to get CarPlay. Went with the Sony XAV-9000ES (20 watts RMS CTA-2006/55 peak x 4 channels) as it is a flush mount and has a reference quality DAC + DSP. Got it from Trail Grid Pro - super easy, but replace the shit plastic mounts they use with the stock metal ones and you are golden, sooo much screen vibration with the plastic ones

Now onto the speaker selection.

Ideally looking to keep it pretty simple, no sub or amp and retain the stock wiring out of laziness... if possible. Willing to add an amp if necessary. Below are my ideas for config, would love some input/sanity checks.

Option 1 (can get 50% off MSRP on these):

Front door + Dash: Focal ES 165K 100 watts RMS (200 watts peak power) 4 Ohms Component
Rear Passenger + Hatch: Focal EC-165K 6.5" 80W RMS (160W Peak Power Handling) 4 Ohms 2-Way Coaxial

Option 2:

Dash: Audiofrog GS25 GS Series 2-1/2" midrange car speakers
Front Door: Audiofrog GS693 GS Series 6"x9" 3-way car speakers
Rear Passenger + Hatch: Audiofrog GS62 GS Series 6" 2-way car speakers

Any concerns having the front tweeters by the feet? Would you suggest the 6x9 components instead?

I am hoping that these will be a nice upgrade from stock. Any opinions on the above options? Understand that Focal is bright, but I know this from the home setup. With no sub would you choose one over the other?

Getting ahead of the 'you need an amp' statement I have found two that have piqued my interest. Only want to go down this route if necessary, may plan on this long term either way but for now trying to keep it simple.

Amp Option 1: Audison SR 5.600 5 Channel D-Class Amplifier 1000 Watt Amp SR5600 - in case I want to add a sub via the OEM JBL enclosure

Amp Option 2: Sony XMS400D Compact 4-channel car amplifier — 45 watts RMS x 4 - I like that this is small but gives a bump to the HU amp. Should be able to hide this nicely in or behind the glovebox, and also allows me to retain the stock wiring without worry of melting the shielding.

Already planning on strategic sound deadening in the doors.

If anyone had a suggested set of speaker mounts I would greatly appreciate input as well. Not impressed with the Metra options.

Appreciate any wisdom, experience, thoughts you can provide!

Post some pictures of the flush mount headunit, would like to see it. Speaker choices are good but wont get much advice here on this forum. As for an amp when I add one it will be the kicker key 200.4, compact amp and auto dsp (not sure of exact terms)

Can't go wrong with Focal, I have Inflinity Kappa's in all my speaker locations and am very happy with them

I do car audio and have done it for years
i will tell you what really blew me away recently in a 4runner, i was pleasantly surprised.
pioneer head unit
Alpine R2-S69 in front doors (left factory tweeter in upper door)
Alpine R2-S65 in rear doors and tailgate
JBL BassPRO SL2 under passengers seat

Let me tell you, son, this thing absolutely rocked and i mean flat out hits all the notes and makes music sound like a dream. You can cut the sub off and listen to music without any thump and hear exactly what Lynyrd Skynyrd was supposed to sound like, or run the sub at a moderate level and hear Limp Bizkit at full tilt and rock your socks off, or cut the sub up and listen to Little Wayne and shake the rear view mirrors silly.
Surprisingly the JBL powered sub under the passengers front seat sounds freaking amazing, the notes it hits and how it sounds is completely different than a standard sub you would typically hear in an SUV. A sub in the rear hatch area is going to load off the side wall or tailgate, as the sub "loads" the sound waves bend, which changes their sound quality. This makes subs sound like they hit harder in an SUV but it takes away from sound quality. This JBL sub under the passengers seat absolutely rocks and makes songs like GOAT and Playing God by Polyphia freaking sound unreal. The bass notes as the bass is being picked and thumbed come out of the JBL powered sub amazingly well, and being under the passengers seat makes the sound feel "around" you. It sounds like the passengers door has a mid bass driver in it, you can kinda tell the bass is coming from that direction but it fills the cab and sounds like its coming from all around you. The quality of the notes it hits is amazing and will leave you floored. I have always liked the Boston Rally and Boston Pro speakers in the doors but recently tried the Alpine and i was not let down. I cant say these will outplay the Focals but for the price point and sound quality i dont think you are going to beat them in a manner to justify the price.

Just my nickles worth of info.

I just changed out the speakers only (no amps etc) with OEM Audio+: 2010-2023 Toyota 4Runner Reference Series | OEM Audio Plus

Much improved sound and very, very easy install.

Speaker Upgrade Time! Advice Requested
 

I went with the Kicker bundle, also from Trail Grid Pro, and I’m very happy with this choice. Great sound and affordable price.

Edit: used the full speaker kit and it greatly enhanced my stock stereo. No amp or other equipment.

Pics as requested. Super happy with CarPlay so far, and using the 'Voice' button allows me to search using GMaps... not into Apple Maps, personally. Looking forward to Gaia with my inReach when I get off the beaten path.

Sorry, can't seem to get the insert image to work, links below instead.

IMG-1197 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB
IMG-1198 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB
IMG-1201 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB
IMG-1202 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB

https://ibb.co/3TbSVKQ

https://ibb.co/TT0TFwG

https://ibb.co/zGST4wn

https://ibb.co/28v8X9P

Very interesting. A shop I spoke with suggested the Alpine R2s as well. May look into these a bit more.

Really appreciate the writeup about sub placement in the trunk and your experience with the SL2 under seat. It confirms some of my thoughts, and brings me back down the under seat sub route... was looking at this a week or so ago.

I had come across OEM Audio+... they actually got me started down this journey. May need to go this route after the call I just had with Crutchfield.

None of the speakers I have been looking at will work in the rear or hatch due to mounting height. Basically the speakers will be hitting the stock grilles. So either I go the custom fab route here or OEM Audio+ which is simple plug and play. May swing up there and check them out, I'm about 45 min drive away.

I did a Polk component setup and an Alpine S8 sub (underneath the driver seat for some butt kicking), and I'm shocked how good it sounds, especially for the bare bones cost. They run off my Sony from Trail Grid with plenty of volume without distortion, and those Focal are similarly efficient. But I also disconnected (jumpered) the hatch speakers per @rigtec 's instructions to leave more juice for the doors. The hatch speakers just don't add much given the distance and positioning. I could be happy without the sub but it definitely sounds better with that fill. I have some lovely Focal Dôme for my Atmos ceiling speakers at home, so I say vive la France….

Alpine also makes components for the front doors it you wanna get wild. They make a 2 way setup in the 6x9 and 3 way setup in 6.5 if you want to get wild building some plates.

Standard coax 6x9
R2-S69

2-way 6x9
R2-S69C

3 way 6.5
R2-S653

I have the same thing in my ceiling and love them.

UPDATE: I grabbed Audiofrog GB15 tweeters and GS 6x9s. Going to start with just the front. More sensitive than the Focals, they get down to 42Hz (versus 60 for the Focals), and don't seem too power hungry. Other, more audio focused forums, rave about this combo and the 1.5" tweeter should blend nicely into the mids of the 6x9. Will add GS62(s) down the road, and maybe an amp.

This forum has severe size limitations on posted pictures. Impossible to get them cropped to meet the requirements. Best to use a picture host.

Guys my right front dash speaker is toast.. it rattles bad now. 2016 limited. Any idea what size I need to replace it with? THanks!

If not JBL amplified system it is a 1" tweeter. I think this is the one you want, may be able to get it locally in Canada... fellow Canadian here, relocated to the States 5 years ago.

You could also use this opportunity to swap for a better set of tweeters and better 6x9s in the door. If you search here a lot of people have great results from this swap. Go for a 6x9 component set and it is pretty close to plug and play.

You will need a wiring harness like this, or Crutchfield will include the Metra ones with your purchase (or charge you $10 at most). You will need to install (solder) base blockers, or farm this out to someone. If you have a friend that can do this it takes 30 seconds.

You will also likely need speaker mounts. These are from Metra, I went a bit higher end since I opted for high end speakers and wanted to avoid flex etc. The Metra ones are likely close to stock quality.

The hardest part will be removing and reinstalling the door panel.