Aftermarket Head Unit : What's in your 4Runner?

[02T4RVA]

Hey Everyone,

I have been doing a lot of reading about aftermarket head units. The next modification for my son will be an "audio upgrade". I am not committed to any one style of head unit yet. I am just curious what everyone here has in their 4Runners?

If you have a moment and can reply what brand and model #'s you have, that would be great If you have a picture of it installed, that would be a bonus.

Thanks as always!

 

[nicolasballia]

I have a Kentwood kdc-252u
Is pretty awesome, but i always wish it had Bluetooth..it has s usb port and aux tho, and it makes the stock system sound awesome!! Very easy install too..

 

[ajonesnv]

I have an Alpine, which I like a lot. However the volume knob is touchy. I went with a single din so that I could have my 2 Meter radio below it.

 

[Ol'Blue]

Can't go wrong with Alpine. Also buy from Crutchfield: Car Stereo, Speakers, Home Theater, LED LCD TV, Cameras if possible. The customer service is top notch!

Blue

 

[Millerad1651]

I have a the previous model of JVC KW-R500.

JVC KW-R500 CD receiver at Crutchfield.com

I like it cause it has both USB and aux ports in the front. I also like the double din setup so it fits the factory space better. It made my stock speakers sound so much better.



I also installed a slim, powered sub to help with the low ends. I went with the powered sub for a couple reasons. It was easy to install, fit under my driver seat, gives great bass without waking my neighbors, and I can adjust the amount of bass with the remote provided.

Sound Ordnance B-8PTD 125-watt compact powered subwoofer at Crutchfield.com




Remote knob installed in console (round knob to the left)

 

[USMC0351]

I have an Alpine, which I like a lot. However the volume knob is touchy. I went with a single din so that I could have my 2 Meter radio below it.

That's a pretty slick setup, I'm not really familiar with the 2 Meter radios but now I want one lol.

I've got an Alpine CDA-9886 (two Kicker CVR 12's and a ZX750.1 monoblock) and some sort of aftermarket door speakers the PO installed, haven't needed to pull door panels but they are way too clear to be factory.

Crutchfield does have awesome customer service, and can provide wiring info for vehicles... but their prices can be pretty steep. onlinecarstereo.com is a pretty good source, too.

 

[Hepar]

I have a Eclipse AVN6620.

The good:

-Nice large screen and I like that there aren't big bulky buttons on it
-Eclipse makes the NAV units for Toyota, so it is a direct plug and play. No harnesses needed
-Was designed to be just the NAV, so if you wanted iPod controls, bluetooth or Sirus, you have the options to only buy what you want


The bad:

-Sort of dated graphics, but doesn't bother me
-Being that Eclipse technically doesn't exist anymore, I doubt any updates will be coming for the maps
-The above mention feature about it being modular could also be a negative if you'd just rather have one unit with everything.

 

[TheArkMaster]

I don't have one now but in my last runner I had a alpine. ANYTHING alpine or pioneer for their decks are top notch. I agree with blue. Crutchfield is AWESOME!

 

[BrianSD_42]

I love my Alpine.

I notice you keep looking for mods for your sons truck.

Is it his truck or your truck lol? And why doesn't he just create an account and look for mods himself?

Not trying to rain on your parade but it seems like kids these days have everything taken care of by their parents to the extreme. I recently read about parents who wrote their kids college essays for them, hunt for jobs for them, do everything. Perhaps I'm wrong and your kid has some type of problem or issue that prevents him from making his own decisions but we have plenty of HS age members here who make their own truck build decisions.

 

[02T4RVA]

I love my Alpine.

I notice you keep looking for mods for your sons truck.

Is it his truck or your truck lol? And why doesn't he just create an account and look for mods himself?

Not trying to rain on your parade but it seems like kids these days have everything taken care of by their parents to the extreme. I recently read about parents who wrote their kids college essays for them, hunt for jobs for them, do everything. Perhaps I'm wrong and your kid has some type of problem or issue that prevents him from making his own decisions but we have plenty of HS age members here who make their own truck build decisions.

Brian - you are not raining on my parade at all. My son and I are doing all of this together. It is a great father/son project! All of the mods are his decision on what he wants to do. He just turned 16 in September, so this is all still very much new to him, and me for that matter. I found this forum to be a great wealth of knowledge and support and I am just reaching out to everyone and getting their .02, knowledge and experience. We usually review comments, check out build threads, look at pictures, at night when he is done with school, sports, and homework Sorry if my post rubbed you the wrong way.

 

[Skidmarcx]

I've got a simple Alpine with USB port... Running through an Audison BIT10

 

[5vzT4R]

I have a $100 single din JVC from Walmart....? It works great. Plays music, very simple to use, sounds way better then stock and has a USB and a aux port. I have had it for over 2 years. Works awesome and can't go wrong for only a $100 bucks.

 

[02T4RVA]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback and pictures! It is really appreciated.

 

[BlackCat914]

here's my Pioneer Navigation

 

[RFYOTA]

[MENTION=99068]02T4RVA[/MENTION] Kenwood or Kenwood Excelon, and Alpine are the best out there. Pioneer's stereos arent as good as they use to be. My dad has had a stereo shop for over thirty years so i pretty much grew up in it. In my experience kenwoods and alpine always last the longest no matter what you put them through. The new alpine stereos are more simple and easier to use then some of the nicer kenwood excelon onces. For stereo there both great but if your going to go a tv/dvd/navigation then i would highly recomend the kenwood excelon.

 

[BrianSD_42]

No worries. I hope he loves it and gets into the build process.

About stereos a lot of it has to do with your $ on hand.

 

[Mc1337sauce]

I don't have a pic on hand, but I run a Clarion CX501 double-DIN headunit. It's fairly cheap (I think it was somewhere around the $150-$200 mark when I got it), and has all the features you need like USB, bluetooth, AUX in, etc. Sound quality is great, too (I am a bit of an audiophile and own a few pairs of high-end headphones, so I do know a bit about the definition of sound quality, despite my age and the stereotypes surrounding it).

On a side note, since your son is 16, he may want to install a subwoofer (or two) in the future, and may want to upgrade door speakers as well. The aforementioned headunit has 3 sets of RCA outputs, one for subwoofer, one for front speakers, and one for rear speakers. This is great when installing multiple amps. If he does end up wanting to do the sub install, I made a video with my dad overviewing my setup and how I routed my power, ground, remote turn on, and RCA cables. Click here to see it if you are interested. If you need any more specific details about my setup or want pictures of anything, don't hesitate to ask; I live at my university during the week, though, so pictures would have to wait until the weekend.

 

[spenedwrds]

I just installed the app radio by pioneer and I love it. Has Bluetooth and I can watch Netflix and youtube on it while I'm just chilling waiting for class or something. Very easy to install and no dash kit required because it's a double din. All I had to buy was the 10$ harness at Walmart. I also have to 12" kicker comps in the back that sound good on any kind if music. I listen to a little rap and a good bit if country and they sound good either way.
Here's a pic

 

[pluton]

Alpine CDE-HD148BT, plus an Alpine KTP-445 behind-the-dash 45WRMS/4 Ch amp. Very normal, average looking single-DIN space unit. Unit has a bright sound, but miraculously sounds pretty good with the built-in OEM front speakers. I ran the rear speaker leads out under the rear of the console and have hooked up to my choice of moveable, repositionable box speakers, currently JBL Control1(cheap plastic JBL product).
I mainly got this unit for the rear USB(hidden) for iPod. Has also front CD(friends might bring a CD), front AUX(wanted rear also), BT w/phone, some fancy sound-shaping time-delay thingy. 9 band parametric EQ which is nice. Booster amp is easy plug and play for this and other Alpine head units.
Alpine Electronics of America, Inc.

 

[goro]

Kenwood Excelon X794. Clean and simple front, rear USB and 3.5 routed up the shifter trim and out the e-brake opening, good options and such.