Picked up an 07' T4R about 5 months ago and love it! It's got the JBL Synthesis 10 speaker sound system which in my opinion sounds marginal at best. I do not have the Navigation system.
Previous sound systems I've run in various cars over the years have included MB Quart component speakers, JL Audio 10W3-D2 subwoofer, and (2) old school Fosgate Punch 150HD amplifiers w/ separate Fosgate electronic crossover system.
I downloaded the service manual from this site and started researching the audio system in detail as I wanted to retain the factory head unit but bypass the OEM 160w amplifier and wire up the aftermarket components above. It looks like it's going to be quite the challenge as the OEM amplifier looks to be much more than just an amplifier, but rather also is a complex signal processor. Per review audio terminal drawings in the manual, the head unit only has (1) Left +- and (1) Right +- set of speaker wire inputs to the amplifier. From there, the amplifier further splits the signal into Left, Right, Fade to Front/Rear, Surround Sound mode, and outputs to 10 different speakers.
Looks like I'll have to tap into the (1) Left +- and (1) Right +- set of speaker wire inputs, wire them to a high level input to low level RCA output converter. Then run the pair of RCA cables to a electronic crossover to further split the signal between the (2) Fosgate Punch 150HD amps. One amp will power the components (mid-bass & tweeters) and the other amp will power the dedicated subwoofer.
Before I go too far off tangent, is this what other members have done? From my readings, most members seem to swap out the head unit only and retain use of the OEM 160w amplifier.
If members are wiring in additional amplifiers, are they simply tapping into the speaker wire outputs from the OEM 160w amplifier? If so, are there noticeable audible distortion levels?
Update: it looks like the (1) Left +- and (1) Right +- set of inputs to the amplifier might be digital and not actually high level speaker wire inputs. If this is the case, I might just have to take the advise below and swap out the head unit. Darn!
Thanks,
Steve
It depends on how much of an audiophile you are. I have done a system in every car I have owned and my last car an Audi I thought was difficult; doing my 2003 limited T4R Jbl made the Audi look like cakewalk. The Audi was difficult because they are such well insulated cars that I had to have a special port designed from the trunk to the backseat to hear any bass at all. Much like the Runner the Audio system is labeled "premium" and the head unit is quite integrated with everything. With that system many go the route of leaving in the stock head unit and using a processor which is quite pricey and then upgrading speakers adding amps and getting a large woofer for bass for whatever music suits one. Firstly you must establish a budget. When I do a system I cut no corners but there are extremes in price differences even from high end very quality audio and then absolutely astronomically expensive brands. I think you get what you pay for and even on a budget you can make a great system. With that being said there is always the very cheap high power rated brands that I wouldn't spend a penny on. For example many people will go grab a 1000-2000 amp and pure sol woofer with cheap speakers and I just do not understand the logic when for a fraction more you can get very quality budget minded gear. For example JL W6 or W7 subs in their brand boxes that run 599-899 for the woofer alone and then a Focal or Hertz amp for $1000 is not necessary when you can go with a JL W3 sub or Alpine SWR for $200 with a decent box totaling $250 if you shop around is not by any means going all out for junk sloppy power. On the other hand grabbing a Kicker low end sub that boasts high "peak wattage" for 75 bucks and a no name amp that has a ton of power but no subsonic filter, good distortion ratio etc.. is just a waste of money to me. You can go with an Alpine Type S sub or even the JL W1 entry level and power it fully with an entry level Alpine MRV 500 or JL entry level for $150-200 and have a nice clean woofer instead of sloppy booming SPL oriented gear. Cruthfield is my favorite source for Audio. They will tell you exactly what fits in your car and even walk you thru installing yourself saving you a lot of money on install which is a bulk of the cost with regard to car audio. I don't care how low you rate your ability to do such a task but it is truly not that hard once you give it a go. Trial and error. Yes you will mess up but that is how you learn. They offer 24/7 365 support and will patiently walk you thru each step no matter how much time it takes and they know every vehicle including our almighty T4R!
Back to the topic IMO always go with 6.5 or 6 3/4 as they are now being called in some instances. They offer the most mid and high level sound quality. For fronts I think it is a must rear speakers can be done with 5 1/4 and still sound great but I see no reason when the cost is nearly the same as is the power needed to drive the speakers. I also think 6.5 components are best for the front meaning a separate woofer and tweeter with a crossover, however, this does make for a more tedious install. If you do decide to go the route of just doing a set of 2 way 6.5 or 5 1/4 get a solid speaker with the tweeter at least adjustable in angle and disable the stock location tweeters as you will have way to much high end in your ears. Bang for the buck I think Polk is the best speaker out there. I have owned $500 Hertz and Focal components that were great but I am running the Polk DB 6501 series now and feel they actually sound better. The component sets run 199 full retail and the matching 2 way $100. They hit lower frequency than the very expensive sets I have had and with the DB they are marine rated and water proof making them great for a T4R. Their lower end DXI series sound great as well and are a cheaper alternative which require less power also lightening your need for good clean RMS amplification. The DB want 100 RMS and run best getting at least that or more. Always give the speaker more RMS than it's rating. It is a very common mistake to think an amp with more power than needed will blow out a speaker. It is an under powered amp that will ruin a speaker!!!!!
So the question is how much do you want to spend...how intense of an audiophile are you...what kind of music do you listen to....and do you want to retain trunk space for a subwoofer and get a vehicle specific enclosure or do you want bigger bass which requires a box in the trunk. If you want to upgrade the factory runner woofer it is not cheap. JL makes a specific enclosure that goes for $500 I think and then of course you have to power it. The W3 is a fantastic woofer and is now on par with its bigger more expensive brothers the w6 and w7 series. It can be powered with an Alpine MRV 500 or JL amp of similar quality for 150-200 and sound great. It is a shallow woofer so it won't hit those low notes like a ported or vented box. Keep that in mind if you like rap or music that hits low 808 notes or techno dub step etc.. that have roll over and fast low bass notes. For that you want a quality SQ ported box not sealed. Sealed is best for tight hitting bass and is going to need more power to hit the same notes as a well made and tuned ported or vented box. I am not talking about cheap sloppy band pass boxes here.
My budget was basically one area at a time based allowing me to do quality of my taste yet not coughing up all of the dough in one splurge. I start with the head unit and a subwoofer and amp always, and a good set of front comps as that is all I am going to hear as the driver. In some of the coupes I have owned you could get away with just that as the car was so small or in the case of my Audi you had to do all speakers or it was unbalanced. The runner is great in the sense the back is really so far back you can get away with doing fronts HU and sub and then rears when you save up later on if you have a budget and want quality that can't be had all in one purchase.
Current set up for me is:
Kenwood ddx 370 CD/DVD XM and sirius ready touch screen. Now replaced with the ddx 371 but still a great HU and if you find one it is going to run 200 as it is last years model, or even this years you can pull off $299 if you shop around. Buy from an authorized dealer though. If things go kaput you want the company to back it. Hence why I love crutchfield. 3 year warranty for 29 on all equipment and they take care of you always.
Front 6.5 component Polk Db 6501 with crossover and tweeter in stock location $199
Rear 6.5 Two way tweeter built into woofer Polk DB series as well and tweeter is adjustable. They are 100 watts RMS and I will tell you if you run new speakers off the HU alone it will make you angry and wish you still had your stock system so believe me power it.
Each set of speakers has its own 2 channel JL 360/2 amp that run 110 rms at 4ohms. A subwoofer can be run at 2ohms or even 1ohm if the amp is stable but I highly advise sicking with 4ohm on almost all aftermarket speakers that are not considered a subwoofer or high performance speakers like 6.5 component subwoofers some companies make that can perform as your low end bass speaker...for example JL W6 and W7 come in 6.5 and will hit noes as well as most 8-12 inch woofers. A great option for someone who wants their woofer for specifically tight drum bass used in rock but is not the best option for a person who wants to hear the bass meant from hip hop rap techno etc. These are also very pricey ranging from 500 and up for just the speaker itself. Rockford Fosgate also makes some high end speakers that are incredblie but very pricey themselves. Fosgate is another company that makes very fair priced mid-high level comps and subs as well as amps that some people I know swear by. And their high performance tweeters are absolutely incredible but once again very pricey and very power hungry. Their power line falls into this category where the speakers are sold individually as well the tweeters but you certainly get what you pay for. I have thought about putting their tweeters that sell singly in the cargo area one day as they are the only ones in my opinion worthy of such a task as they are no ordinary tweeter and large enough to fit almost flush there. That location is so far back for the front seat you need something like that to hear it. Certainly is not a necessity and once again it is a preference and budget thing. If you want it get it if you can afford it but you will be quite happy without it and are not cutting corners by leaving those tweeter locations alone. This goes for the front center speaker. Some leave it in some swap out for an aftermarket speaksr but it is a pain to do. I also think it takes away from the classic setup for audio. But if it is for the sake of 5.1 or movies then maybe you will want it and plenty of companies make them. I unhooked mine and just run my two sets of comps and my sub.
Finally for my woofer I absolutely go all out in this category. I used to be a JL only man and run a W7 or W6 in the JL power wedge enclosure. However, the new Alpine SWR R type subs are simply mind-blowing. I never thought anything of them at all. This year a buddy put one 10 in his car and I was sure he had two 12 inch W7's powered to the max and was ready to go double up. He talked me into getting myself one and I figured worst case I send it back and put it toward something else or throw it in the wife's car. They take 1000 rms easy and will peak at 3000. Clean as the JL and they hit with a low roll I have never heard before. I now run those with a PDX Alpine Class D 1100 rms watt amp at 2ohms and I am in love. I have a 12 single in a vented box as well as a dual 10 inch vented set I snagged when cruthfield ran a buy one get one free promo last year. I swap them out and the 10s hit as low as the 12s so its hard to say which is preferred. I like all music and they both suffice. The 10's I think punch me more in the chest but the single 12 in it's custom vented box takes up less space and is usually what I roll with. The same sub is made in an 8 inch that comes in an Alpine enclosure and only wants around 400 rms and would be great for someone not so bass hungry. The SWR go for 229 give or take. If you plan to run 1 get the dual 4ohm voice coil and wire it for 2ohms to get max amp power, if you plan on 2 subs get the dual 2ohms so they can run off one single amp at 2ohms themselves. I think they are worthy of the JL or any high end sub, but that's me.
I did all install myself except for my rear view camera I had done at a high end shop as it is not easy at all. I like the clarion CC510 for 99 bucks with the yellow, orange, green and red guide lines to give you distance. Cameras run from 100-500 depending on what you want. The clarion is fine for me at night and day.
So all in all I spent about 1700 with everything installed and the steering wheel adapter maybe a tad more. I have yet to hear a system that could hang. If I had all of this installed it would be more in the 3000 range. Like I said install gets you!!!!! I am a radar junky as well but thats another topic. Feel free to pm me if you want any tips. I can talk about it all day. The polk btw are on sale at crutchfield for buy one set of speakers get the other half. The lower dxi are great too as well as the mid to high level RF, JL makes affordable mid to high level stuff, as does Alpine and Pioneer. Kenwood is great for Hu and top IMO but their comps I think are way to shrill and would stay away from. It is a lll about budget. I think if you know a fair installer or DIY 800 is realistic for a quality system if you don't want to go crazy. Of course you can get up near 5000 if you are a super duper audiophile!!!!!
Cheers!
)))" Thats when I grabbed everything and threw in my sub w/amp and speakers all powered. Just please do not under power some great speakers or sub and ruin them. Biggest mistake as I said is to think a bigger amp will blow out speakers. PLAIN AND SIMPLE LOWER POWERED AMP IS GOING TO RUIN SPEAKERS THAT ISN'T ADAQUETE RMS NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. GOOD LUCK AND PM ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MY TRIAL AND ERROR LESSONS.
