2010-2013 ltd jbl speaker swap to after market

[4RunnerStunner]

Hey All,

After search for hours and going through the forums, I have founds some good information, but confusing as well. I want this thread to just talk about what everyone has done to their LTD 4runners JBL Speaker system. I would like to get a better sound oout of the system if possible and want to know from the veterans and modders what they did and what speakers they have replaced their JBL's with. Most threads have a mix of SR5 and Trail owners talking of their mods and cannot get a fluid direction on what my options are and what the best course of action. Once I know what has been proven and has been done with great success, I can start the upgrade to the speakers. The head unit I can follow the write-ups, but the JBL Speaker change out I need a little help with. Thanks guys for your time!

 

[KVA]

[MENTION=8206]harper7[/MENTION] did speaker upgrades to his Limited...don't remember if it included the head unit.

Do a search as he has a build thread...

 

[harper7]

Hey All,

After search for hours and going through the forums, I have founds some good information, but confusing as well. I want this thread to just talk about what everyone has done to their LTD 4runners JBL Speaker system. I would like to get a better sound oout of the system if possible and want to know from the veterans and modders what they did and what speakers they have replaced their JBL's with. Most threads have a mix of SR5 and Trail owners talking of their mods and cannot get a fluid direction on what my options are and what the best course of action. Once I know what has been proven and has been done with great success, I can start the upgrade to the speakers. The head unit I can follow the write-ups, but the JBL Speaker change out I need a little help with. Thanks guys for your time!

Here is a link to the discussion on speakers I replaced and a link in another thread in this post with what the stock JBL speakers were....http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/80105-replace-speakers.html#post686473

And the Pioneer Nav I have.....http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/61082-aftermarket-stereo-5.html#post576253

Remember,this was almost 4 years ago and with all electronics....time marches on!

 

[Hawaiian4runner]

Hey All,

After search for hours and going through the forums, I have founds some good information, but confusing as well. I want this thread to just talk about what everyone has done to their LTD 4runners JBL Speaker system. I would like to get a better sound oout of the system if possible and want to know from the veterans and modders what they did and what speakers they have replaced their JBL's with. Most threads have a mix of SR5 and Trail owners talking of their mods and cannot get a fluid direction on what my options are and what the best course of action. Once I know what has been proven and has been done with great success, I can start the upgrade to the speakers. The head unit I can follow the write-ups, but the JBL Speaker change out I need a little help with. Thanks guys for your time!

Good rule of thumb. Any speaker costing more than $15 will probably sound better than the JBL "Premium" sound system speakers. It's mostly a question of finding something that fits. For the dash, look for 3 1/2" coaxials. There are not that many to choose from. I know of Infinity Kappas and JL Audio.

For front door I kind of did what Harper did. Used the Mid/bass from a pretty good 6" x 9" component system. Used 6 1/2" coaxial Kappas in the back. You will need to fabricate some mounting plates out of wood or plastic. Plastic cutting boards are good.

I used a DSP and separate amps but you can do very well without going that far.

 

[jrhaze]

Good rule of thumb. Any speaker costing more than $15 will probably sound better than the JBL "Premium" sound system speakers. It's mostly a question of finding something that fits. For the dash, look for 3 1/2" coaxials. There are not that many to choose from. I know of Infinity Kappas and JL Audio.

For front door I kind of did what Harper did. Used the Mid/bass from a pretty good 6" x 9" component system. Used 6 1/2" coaxial Kappas in the back. You will need to fabricate some mounting plates out of wood or plastic. Plastic cutting boards are good.

I used a DSP and separate amps but you can do very well without going that far.

Not to get sidetracked here, but which DSP did you use?

OP, I replaced all speakers in my TE...if you're bypassing the factory amps, installing an aftermarket HU or DSP etc the process between an SR5 and a Limited will be exactly the same.

If we could get an idea of how far you want to go, how much you want to spend we could help you much better...

 

[Hawaiian4runner]

Not to get sidetracked here, but which DSP did you use?

OP, I replaced all speakers in my TE...if you're bypassing the factory amps, installing an aftermarket HU or DSP etc the process between an SR5 and a Limited will be exactly the same.

If we could get an idea of how far you want to go, how much you want to spend we could help you much better...

I used a Helix DSP. German made (supposedly). Excellent sound. Good build quality. Got it for only $600 brand new in Hawaii no less. No auto tuning whatsoever so you gotta love tuning and tinkering, have a lot of patience, good ears and would help if you have some instruments (RTA, Multimeter).

 

[jrhaze]

I used a Helix DSP. German made (supposedly). Excellent sound. Good build quality. Got it for only $600 brand new in Hawaii no less. No auto tuning whatsoever so you gotta love tuning and tinkering, have a lot of patience, good ears and would help if you have some instruments (RTA, Multimeter).

Oh right on, do you have it dialled in now?

I used the mosconi 6to8, same business I'm still tweaking it...

 

[Hawaiian4runner]

Oh right on, do you have it dialled in now?

I used the mosconi 6to8, same business I'm still tweaking it...

I think it's dialed in but then again...I resist the temptation to keep screwing with it.

Side note. Wife just got a 2014 Lexus GS350 with Mark Levinson audio. My wife has excellent ears. She can hear subtle differences in my home audio system when I buy new toys and makes comments that are pretty spot on. I commented that I think my stereo sounds better than her Levinson and she agreed. Said it just sounds cleaner and more lively. I don't want to spend any more money so I just said the Levinson will blow mine away once it's broken in. Don't know if it's true or not but I think I'll resist the temptation to screw around with either system (for now).

 

[jrhaze]

I think it's dialed in but then again...I resist the temptation to keep screwing with it.

Side note. Wife just got a 2014 Lexus GS350 with Mark Levinson audio. My wife has excellent ears. She can hear subtle differences in my home audio system when I buy new toys and makes comments that are pretty spot on. I commented that I think my stereo sounds better than her Levinson and she agreed. Said it just sounds cleaner and more lively. I don't want to spend any more money so I just said the Levinson will blow mine away once it's broken in. Don't know if it's true or not but I think I'll resist the temptation to screw around with either system (for now).

Ya my goal is to get it set and forget it...don't want to be constantly messing around. It sounds very good after one pass with the RTA I think I'll have one more go round and call it good. It's certainly pretty damn good as it is.

I would be curious to know more about your setup, but we've probably jacked the OPs thread enough...do you have a thread for yours you can link me to??

 

[4RunnerStunner]

Here is a link to the discussion on speakers I replaced and a link in another thread in this post with what the stock JBL speakers were....http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/80105-replace-speakers.html#post686473

And the Pioneer Nav I have.....http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/61082-aftermarket-stereo-5.html#post576253

Remember,this was almost 4 years ago and with all electronics....time marches on!

Thanks harper7 for your input. I looked at those threads before I posted and it has good info. I just needed a thread that did not have every 5th Gen owner that did not have the 15 speaker JBL Premium giving their solutions as the setup is not the same and all that info gets confusing when you try to decipher it and make a decision. Have a direct link to your solution helps greatly and will help anyone looking for the same information in the future.

Good rule of thumb. Any speaker costing more than $15 will probably sound better than the JBL "Premium" sound system speakers. It's mostly a question of finding something that fits. For the dash, look for 3 1/2" coaxials. There are not that many to choose from. I know of Infinity Kappas and JL Audio.

For front door I kind of did what Harper did. Used the Mid/bass from a pretty good 6" x 9" component system. Used 6 1/2" coaxial Kappas in the back. You will need to fabricate some mounting plates out of wood or plastic. Plastic cutting boards are good.

I used a DSP and separate amps but you can do very well without going that far.

Thanks for the tips Hawaiian4Runner! Yeah, this is not my first runner and they have always had that crappy shape. On my previous 4TH Gen Runner I ordered some templates from Tacotunes. I never thought to use plastic cutting boards!


Now, with the sub in the back. I know from harper7's input from his other thread that it is a 4 connecting points on the sub and that the AMP is 650watts. Has anyone found out yet how many watts are going to each speaker?

My plan is to go with the Kappas in the dash and JL in the rest of the doors and back. The key here is to get speakers that do not require a lot of wattage to get the best sound out of them. If you go with over 50-watts RMS on a factory radio setup, you are asking for disappointment as the more RMS wattage a speaker can handle, the more power you need to get them to shine. I learned this from extensive research when I upgraded my system in my last 4Runner with Infiniti Kappa speakers. I changed out the speakers first and it sounded weak as there was not enough power pushing from the headunit. Once I added a Alpine MRP-F300 4-Channel Car Speaker Amplifier, all hell broke loose and I had a sound that I seriously miss. The JBL system is pretty decent, but I think it could be a little better.

 

[4RunnerStunner]

Not to get sidetracked here, but which DSP did you use?

OP, I replaced all speakers in my TE...if you're bypassing the factory amps, installing an aftermarket HU or DSP etc the process between an SR5 and a Limited will be exactly the same.

If we could get an idea of how far you want to go, how much you want to spend we could help you much better...

I have already invested in some sound dampening and can spend up to $1000 dollars making the system better. I want to make sure that I do not have to cut into factory wiring unless it is necessary so I will need to find some compatible wire harness adapters for the speakers that work with the Toyota plug. I can solder and make some myself if necessary. I am not a noob in this area, just trying not re-invent the wheel and seeing what has worked successfully that others have done that have jumped in first. If a find a better solution, I will definitely post it here.

 

[Hawaiian4runner]

I have already invested in some sound dampening and can spend up to $1000 dollars making the system better. I want to make sure that I do not have to cut into factory wiring unless it is necessary so I will need to find some compatible wire harness adapters for the speakers that work with the Toyota plug. I can solder and make some myself if necessary. I am not a noob in this area, just trying not re-invent the wheel and seeing what has worked successfully that others have done that have jumped in first. If a find a better solution, I will definitely post it here.

The Toyota speaker plugs are the least of your concerns. It's 2 wires. Cut it and forget it.

 

[sandcrawler]

my '10 Trail has the premium JBL "15 speaker" system. not out to reinvent the wheel, i was just looking to upgrade speakers while retaining the OEM Nav & amp/DSP, so i sought out low impedance/high sensitivity speakers to get the most out of what's available in the stock setup. in the front i did the tried-and-true Infinity Kappa 32.9cf in the dash along with the mid-woofer from a JBL 608c component set in the doors (custom cutting board mounts). they're both 2 ohm, ~92dB speakers and both Infinity and JBL are part of the same parent company; very similar sound.

in the lift-gate, i did Polk MM651, which are 2.7 ohm 95dB coaxials. i haven't yet replaced the rear doors because i always have my rear seats folded flat, but will get the same Polks when i do. (like all these speakers, they seem to be more expensive now than when i bought them, though.)

i did RAAMmat in the doors and tailgate and will motivate to get some behind the OEM sub when the weather warms up. seems like upgrading the sub in the factory enclosure is something no one has yet done successfully (without a complete, down to the wiring, system overhaul, i mean.)

these adapters will mate with the factory plugs, but like [MENTION=68101]Hawaiian4runner[/MENTION] said it's not a big deal IMHO.

good luck with your audio improvement project!

 

[4RunnerStunner]

my '10 Trail has the premium JBL "15 speaker" system. not out to reinvent the wheel, i was just looking to upgrade speakers while retaining the OEM Nav & amp/DSP, so i sought out low impedance/high sensitivity speakers to get the most out of what's available in the stock setup. in the front i did the tried-and-true Infinity Kappa 32.9cf in the dash along with the mid-woofer from a JBL 608c component set in the doors (custom cutting board mounts). they're both 2 ohm, ~92dB speakers and both Infinity and JBL are part of the same parent company; very similar sound.

in the lift-gate, i did Polk MM651, which are 2.7 ohm 95dB coaxials. i haven't yet replaced the rear doors because i always have my rear seats folded flat, but will get the same Polks when i do. (like all these speakers, they seem to be more expensive now than when i bought them, though.)

i did RAAMmat in the doors and tailgate and will motivate to get some behind the OEM sub when the weather warms up. seems like upgrading the sub in the factory enclosure is something no one has yet done successfully (without a complete, down to the wiring, system overhaul, i mean.)

these adapters will mate with the factory plugs, but like [MENTION=68101]Hawaiian4runner[/MENTION] said it's not a big deal IMHO.

good luck with your audio improvement project!

Thanks sandcrawler! Your input has greatly helped and is much appreciated! This helps my choice in speakers out GREATLY!!

 

[H&KRunner]

my '10 Trail has the premium JBL "15 speaker" system. not out to reinvent the wheel, i was just looking to upgrade speakers while retaining the OEM Nav & amp/DSP, so i sought out low impedance/high sensitivity speakers to get the most out of what's available in the stock setup. in the front i did the tried-and-true Infinity Kappa 32.9cf in the dash along with the mid-woofer from a JBL 608c component set in the doors (custom cutting board mounts). they're both 2 ohm, ~92dB speakers and both Infinity and JBL are part of the same parent company; very similar sound.

in the lift-gate, i did Polk MM651, which are 2.7 ohm 95dB coaxials. i haven't yet replaced the rear doors because i always have my rear seats folded flat, but will get the same Polks when i do. (like all these speakers, they seem to be more expensive now than when i bought them, though.)

i did RAAMmat in the doors and tailgate and will motivate to get some behind the OEM sub when the weather warms up. seems like upgrading the sub in the factory enclosure is something no one has yet done successfully (without a complete, down to the wiring, system overhaul, i mean.)

these adapters will mate with the factory plugs, but like [MENTION=68101]Hawaiian4runner[/MENTION] said it's not a big deal IMHO.

good luck with your audio improvement project!

yup i tried infinity reference speakers for front and rear doors, polk for the dash and a 8" shallow mount pioneer in the factory enclosure. while the door/dash speakers sounded good, the sub was too powerful even on 150watts for the OEM enclosure and sounded like shit......nothing but rattling and medium volumes and too much bass at low volumes.

i am currently running a 3 way Hertz front stage and a Audison DSP and im in love. it gets LOUD on demand, but never breaks up or loses its clarity.

There are several companies out there that make 2-4" midrange, full range and coaxial speakers. Most of the mid/full range speakers will play from 500hz-20khz.....and take little power to do it. pair that with a good quality 6-7" midbass and proper sound deadening and installation and you will be good to go.

Keep in mind though that factory headunit is very limited in tuning the sound, so once you install it, what you have is what you get so to speak. This was the reason i upgraded from the Infinities, they were loud but not loud and clear.

 

[sandcrawler]

Thanks sandcrawler! Your input has greatly helped and is much appreciated! This helps my choice in speakers out GREATLY!!

you're welcome. :hatsoff:

yup i tried infinity reference speakers for front and rear doors, polk for the dash and a 8" shallow mount pioneer in the factory enclosure. while the door/dash speakers sounded good, the sub was too powerful even on 150watts for the OEM enclosure and sounded like shit......nothing but rattling and medium volumes and too much bass at low volumes.

you powered your new sub with a separate, new amp, right? it would be good to hear positive results when upgrading the sub only (still powered by the OEM amp). shallow DVC 4 ohm sub seems the right route but unpredictable results when powered by factory amp. (most want more power.) i wonder if the factory amp could be bridged into a single voice coil 4 ohm sub?

speaking of this... hey, [MENTION=68101]Hawaiian4runner[/MENTION] whatever came of this when you said you had a contact at Harman who'd dug up specs/manuals for the factory system? http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/86399-2010-trail-premium-w-nav-upgrades.html#post747811

 

[Hawaiian4runner]

you're welcome. :hatsoff:

you powered your new sub with a separate, new amp, right? it would be good to hear positive results when upgrading the sub only (still powered by the OEM amp). shallow DVC 4 ohm sub seems the right route but unpredictable results when powered by factory amp. (most want more power.) i wonder if the factory amp could be bridged into a single voice coil 4 ohm sub?

speaking of this... hey, [MENTION=68101]Hawaiian4runner[/MENTION] whatever came of this when you said you had a contact at Harman who'd dug up specs/manuals for the factory system? http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/86399-2010-trail-premium-w-nav-upgrades.html#post747811

That Harman thing was a bust. Toyota keeps it all under lock and key. My contact at Harman said he could get info on pretty much any factory system except Toyota. Said the best bet would be the Service Manager at the dealership but normally they do not have the settings or the means to adjust them. They just can flash it back to factory. If that doesn't work, they replace the whole unit.

I ended up using the speaker outs from the JBL amp. Was not thrilled at the time with using speaker level signal to feed my DSP but it turned out very good. My old school thinking was that it would be noisy and not of high quality but I was totally wrong. Very satisfied with the sound quality and I got to keep my Nav screen.