2020 4runner JBL system...is this thing working right?

[david05111]

I’m pretty disappointed in the JBL system in my 2020 TRD Pro. Clarity and balance is ok, not great. But what really gets me is the sub in the back.

Now, I don’t expect this thing to be amazing, as it’s only like 8 inches. But I’m telling you, the speakers themselves put out more bass than the sub does. And you have to really turn the bass up in the headunit to 3/4 or more to get any output from the thing whatsoever.

I’ve checked the amp fuse and “radio 2”; both are fine. Part of me thinks there’s something wrong with this thing. Does anyone know how this thing is wired up? I mean, could it be running off headunit power instead of an amp (even though the amp fuse is good?)?

I can’t tell if what I’m hearing is normal or not.

 

[Thai]

JBL uses DSS...distributed subwoofer system. The FRONT door woofers are the bass speakers for the front passengers. The cargo SUB is more for bass for the rear passengers. So, the front doors and cargo sub work together to provide bass for the whole cabin. The cargo sub is not meant to provide pounding bass to the front passengers. Cargo sub does go a little lower than the front door woofers but that bass is to augment the main bass from the door woofers.

Remember, these audio system is tune for 90% of people who listen to music.

 

[david05111]

JBL uses DSS...distributed subwoofer system. The FRONT door woofers are the bass speakers for the front passengers. The cargo SUB is more for bass for the rear passengers. So, the front doors and cargo sub work together to provide bass for the whole cabin. The cargo sub is not meant to provide pounding bass to the front passengers. Cargo sub does go a little lower than the front door woofers but that bass is to augment the main bass from the door woofers.

Remember, these audio system is tune for 90% of people who listen to music.

Ah thanks, that clears it up a little.

My last car was a 2004 BMW 330i with the harman kardon system. It had two 8 inch subs in the trunk that fired upward into the cabin. That system, even stock, blows the doors off this thing and its 16 years old. I can understand that they tailor the system to most people and don't need it to win bass wars, but it's seriously disappointing.

The other thing is that I'm afraid to turn the system up. I've had the bass set at middle or lower for the majority of time I've owned the car and I've got two speakers rattling or popping on the front right of the car right now. I've had thing since mid February and have been just taking it easy with it (seriously, like the Beatles channel on Sirius) and I've got that issue.

I've only run the bass up a few clicks to check if it was even working. Frankly, if I turned the bass up to 75% and played some music at like 35-40 with the windows down, I'm betting I'll be having the dealer replacing speakers every other week. I can't believe the sub doesn't take care of the bass for the system and that there isn't a way to isolate it in the EQ.

 

[Thai]

I think that you need to take your 4runner to dealer to find the rattles. Make sure that the rattling is not due to something in the door pockets or other areas around it. The way Toyota/JBL designed it...it should NOT rattle with any volume level unless you’re pushing serious bass at high volume.

Your HK system 16 years ago is quite different from HK of today. HK owns JBL, Mark Levinson, etc.. Most high end car audio system nowadays follow what i wrote above. My Land Cruiser JBL 14 speaker system is the same way...front door woofers and cargo sub provide bass for the whole cabin. The Lexus GX Mark Levinson system with 17 speakers works the same. The Lexus Mark Levinson REFERENCE system works similar...except in those system, the rear door woofer also provide some bass to the cabin. The newer BMWs work same...the front woofers are under front seats i believe (instead of in doors). BOSE works the same i think, but i am not 100% sure.

DSS is (in theory) more efficient at providing bass to the whole cabin. Because the DSS sub in cargo is smaller, you’re able to save space. And as a whole, DSS provides “faster” bass response to all seating position. The bass is not as deep as traditional big 10 in subwoofer in the cargo with a big sealed box. DSS is not for bass for movies (explosions, rumblings, etc). But the bass from DSS should be good enough for general music.

My Acura MDX ELS audio has a more traditional setup. No bass speakers in the front. Just one cargo subwoofer. 8” i think. The problem with this is that i have to crank the subwoofer up to even hear/feel any bass in the front seat. And when you do this, the rear passenger suffer a little because they can feel/hear bass too much...yet the front passenger can barely hear any bass.

At least to my ears, i much prefer the setup in my LC JBL system over Acura ELS. When i had the Lexus GX, i also prefer Mark Levinson over ELS. More balance overall for all passengers.