Audio Upgrade Questions

[kadinh]

I am wanting to upgrade my 2016 4R (non-JBL) sound quality. It has been about 20 years since I was into the car audio scene, plus I have a terrible memory. Looking for advise or suggestions.

I'm pretty decided that I want to upgrade my front 6x9s and dash tweeters first, then probably amp since I don't think the stock head unit can push enough power to them. After that, if I don't feel that the fronts are enough, I'll get the 6.5" for the back doors. I don't really use my hatch speakers, so I probably won't get those and I'm not planning on getting a sub.

Equipment:

* **Front Door + Dash** - [Infinity Kappa 90csx](Infinity Kappa 90csx Kappa Series 6"x9" component speaker system at Crutchfield) 6x9 woofers, tweeters, crossover

* **Back Door** - [Infinity Kappa 62ix](Infinity Kappa 62ix Kappa Series 6-1/2" 2-way car speakers at Crutchfield) 6.5" 2-way speakers

* **Amp under passenger seat** - [JL Audio JD400/4](JL Audio JD400/4 JD Series 4-channel car amplifier — 75 watts RMS x 4 at Crutchfield) class D amp, 100W RMS x 4 at 2Ω

I think would satisfy my needs/wants (for now anyways).

My ?s:

1. Regarding the front speakers, I have read reviews that the tweeters on the Kappa component set are shrill and people have recommended the [Infinity Kappa 20mx](Infinity Kappa 20mx Kappa Series 2" midrange speakers at Crutchfield) 2" midrange speakers instead. I don't expect anyone to have abundant knowledge on this exact setup, but for those that have installed tweeters in 4Runners, which would be a better way to go? If I ended up getting the 20mx, would I be better off getting a 2-way 6x9 for the front door?

2. Still on the dash tweeters, I have seen on other forums that people have been putting a 3.5" 2/3- way speaker instead of a tweeter. Would it be better for me to just get 2 pairs of 2-way speakers for the front door and dash?

3. Any advice on how to wire all this together? Suggestions on speaker adapters to get so I don't have to do a lot of splicing wires? Is there a special T-harness I need to get to connect the amp to the head unit? I can't for the life of me remember how to wire the speakers through the crossover, to the amp, then to the head unit. Any guides would be greatly appreciated.

4. Would you make any changes to the components that I have chosen? Bad experience with the Kappas? Better to get JL Audio speakers? I would rather have better sound over an easy install.

5. I saw online that the stock head unit and stock speakers are at 4Ω. If I put the Kappa components in first that have an impedence of 2.5Ω, would that make the head unit run too hot? What if I wired the tweeter and woofer in series? Wouldn't that give it a total of 4Ω?

Thx so much for reading. Any help and opinions on this setup would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

[Charlievee]

I'm one that is running the Kappa's and the JL's in the dash and the alpine under seat sub/amp. no issues with the treble being harsh, the speakers have 2 settings for this and the head unit does a fair job with the tuning. To drunk to read a novel at the moment, but tacotunes has the harness adapters as does amazon. I will try to find the post with the part numbers. Cant help with rear and minivan hatch speaker mounts, i gutted the stocks.

 

[Charlievee]

Front Doors - Infinity Kappa 93ix 6x9"
Rear Doors - Infinity Kappa 62ix 6 1/2"
Rear Hatch - Infinity Kappa 62ix 6 1/2"

Alpine PSU-300FRN

Metra 72-8104 Speaker Wire Adapters
Metra 82-8146 6" x 9" Front Speaker Adapter

 

[Charlievee]

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-...ker-upgrade-wow-detailed-how.html#post3152258

For the dash.

 

[kadinh]

Thanks for your info!

the head unit does a fair job with the tuning

Are you using the stock head unit with all your equipment?

And thanks for the part numbers! Ordered!

 

[Charlievee]

Thanks for your info!



Are you using the stock head unit with all your equipment?

And thanks for the part numbers! Ordered!

Stock head unit.

 

[llDemonll]

3.5" in the dash are good with stock speakers.

if you're replacing the door speakers do what you were originally planning and run a standard tweeter in the dash and a woofer in the door

rear doors and rear hatch should be coaxial unless you want to custom fab tweeters for the rear doors

 

[shdw03]

Thanks for your info!



Are you using the stock head unit with all your equipment?

And thanks for the part numbers! Ordered!

Did you order the alpine system? If you stick with your original JL amp, don't forget to order rca to speaker wire adapters. That amp only has rca inputs but can take high level with the adapters.

I would keep the components for the front. Coax for the rears. Buy appropriate adapters (especially for the dash from tacotunes or the like, 4 wire). May also need to find a tweeter mount/adapter.

Wiring is not that bad. 4 gauge wiring kit, t harnes (can use the idatalink dto1) and some speaker wire.

 

[JKLNHYD]

I just put 3.5" Rockford Fosgate P132 speakers (with a BB133 bass blocker) in the dash about a month ago and it made a very noticeable difference!

Rockford Fosgate P132 Car Stereo 3.5" 2-Way Punch Series Coaxial Speakers New 780687328979 | eBay

Pair Of BB133 Audiopipe In Line Noise Filter Speaker Bass Blocker 4 OHM Blockers | eBay

For 2010+ Toyota 4Runner Tweeter Dash/Front Speaker Harness Adapter Cable (Pair) | eBay

 

[keyser_soze]

Stick with components in the front. Most tweeters are fine in the dash, but it is a personal preference so YMMV.

Yes you should definitely install an amp. You will lose volume if you stick with the factory head unit.

If you want an easier install skip replacing the rear door speakers. Using the factory rear door and hatch speakers faded below the fronts is fine for rear fill. This is also a plus if you have components that can be bi-amped so you can control the sound of the components better with your 4 channel amp.

You should consider a sub. Adding the factory JBL enclosure isnt that hard and can hold a JL 8". or you can go custom and have a nice 10". This wont cost you that much and will really help your overall sound.

As other have said you can go to Tacotunes for the harness and adapters.

 

[kadinh]

I chatted with Crutchfield for 1.5 hours this morning and finally got a person who knew what they were talking about. They were very helpful and answered honestly and not trying to upsell me for something I didn't need.

I decided I'm going to get a [Pioneer DMH-1500NEX head unit](Pioneer DMH-1500NEX Digital multimedia receiver (does not play CDs) at Crutchfield) and get a Maestro to retain all the functions of the steering wheel (plus some other features). I'm also going to run my own cables so 1) it will be a breeze to go back to OEM if I sell the car and 2) I don't have to deal with adapters/stock harness splicing, and 3) I can go RCA from the H/U to the amp.

For amp, I think the [Pioneer GM-DX874](Pioneer GM-DX874 Limited Edition 4-channel car amplifier — 100 watts RMS x 4 at Crutchfield) would do great. Front speakers are 135W RMS and back seat are 75W RMS. One thing that caught my attention was that it is able to run 125W x 4 @ 1 ohm. I was thinking I could get the same Kappa 62ix for the hatch speakers and wire the back seat to them in parallel. That way, I could have 125 W split between the 2 speakers having 1.25 ohms, giving about 62W to each speaker (if I remember how to calculate correctly...... 2.5ohms divided by 2 speakers = 1.25ohms.....if I'm wrong plmk).

EDIT: Is it possible to bridge channels 3 and 4 in series and parallel to keep the resistance of all 4 speakers 2.5ohms and have each speaker get 75W each (25% of the 300W)?

 

[mteolus]

I think I am going to get the Focals for the front speakers and see what happens. $299 No amp no nothing else. Supposed to be plug and play. Comes with the door speakers and the tweeters in the dash. I went back and forth with Focals or JL Audio (cheaper) but decided to go with Focals. If I have to I can always add the back Focals if I like the front.

 

[llDemonll]

I think I am going to get the Focals for the front speakers and see what happens. $299 No amp no nothing else. Supposed to be plug and play. Comes with the door speakers and the tweeters in the dash. I went back and forth with Focals or JL Audio (cheaper) but decided to go with Focals. If I have to I can always add the back Focals if I like the front.

let me know how this goes; i've thought about buying these a number of times (or the powerbass ones) because i like the concept of true plug-and-play.

they should be leaps and bounds better than the factory stuff, but interested to hear what you think if you do just buy the front and replace those and dash speakers with them!

 

[robdubbleu]

I think I am going to get the Focals for the front speakers and see what happens. $299 No amp no nothing else. Supposed to be plug and play. Comes with the door speakers and the tweeters in the dash. I went back and forth with Focals or JL Audio (cheaper) but decided to go with Focals. If I have to I can always add the back Focals if I like the front.

What exact set did you choose?

 

[shdw03]

I chatted with Crutchfield for 1.5 hours this morning and finally got a person who knew what they were talking about. They were very helpful and answered honestly and not trying to upsell me for something I didn't need.

I decided I'm going to get a [Pioneer DMH-1500NEX head unit](Pioneer DMH-1500NEX Digital multimedia receiver (does not play CDs) at Crutchfield) and get a Maestro to retain all the functions of the steering wheel (plus some other features). I'm also going to run my own cables so 1) it will be a breeze to go back to OEM if I sell the car and 2) I don't have to deal with adapters/stock harness splicing, and 3) I can go RCA from the H/U to the amp.

For amp, I think the [Pioneer GM-DX874](Pioneer GM-DX874 Limited Edition 4-channel car amplifier — 100 watts RMS x 4 at Crutchfield) would do great. Front speakers are 135W RMS and back seat are 75W RMS. One thing that caught my attention was that it is able to run 125W x 4 @ 1 ohm. I was thinking I could get the same Kappa 62ix for the hatch speakers and wire the back seat to them in parallel. That way, I could have 125 W split between the 2 speakers having 1.25 ohms, giving about 62W to each speaker (if I remember how to calculate correctly...... 2.5ohms divided by 2 speakers = 1.25ohms.....if I'm wrong plmk).

EDIT: Is it possible to bridge channels 3 and 4 in series and parallel to keep the resistance of all 4 speakers 2.5ohms and have each speaker get 75W each (25% of the 300W)?

You can wire an amp any way you like as long as it fall within it's power specs.

As noted before, I would wire the deck to rear speakers as fill and if possible, bi-amp your front components.

Are you planning to ad a sub in the future? Go with a 5 channel amp now to save a little $ and space, unless you plan to run over 500w

 

[keyser_soze]

As noted before, I would wire the deck to rear speakers as fill and if possible, bi-amp your front components.

Are you planning to ad a sub in the future? Go with a 5 channel amp now to save a little $ and space, unless you plan to run over 500w

This x1000

I don't think the people in most of these audio threads have heard higher end car audio systems. They all want to spend money on their rear stage, skimp on the front stage, and do nothing for sound processing.

And you need subwoofer. You don't have to "listen to rap" to need a subwoofer, all genres of music use low frequencies. It doesn't have to be huge or loud either. Having a sub means you can also filter the low frequencies out of your mids. And under seat subs are garbage

 

[Louisiana Overland]

I think I am going to get the Focals for the front speakers and see what happens. $299 No amp no nothing else. Supposed to be plug and play. Comes with the door speakers and the tweeters in the dash. I went back and forth with Focals or JL Audio (cheaper) but decided to go with Focals. If I have to I can always add the back Focals if I like the front.

This was stage one of my audio upgrade and I was very pleased. I deadened the doors while I had them apart.

It will sound 100% better but you will eventually crave power.

I eventually went focal in rear doors and hatch also along with an amp and DSP. Sometimes I think Id like to add a subwoofer but I am not willing to lose any cargo space. I have been looking at maybe tucking a 10” kicker bass tube between the fridge and panel on the wheel well. Other projects are priority at the moment.

 

[kaitlyn2004]

This was stage one of my audio upgrade and I was very pleased. I deadened the doors while I had them apart.

It will sound 100% better but you will eventually crave power.

I eventually went focal in rear doors and hatch also along with an amp and DSP. Sometimes I think Id like to add a subwoofer but I am not willing to lose any cargo space. I have been looking at maybe tucking a 10” kicker bass tube between the fridge and panel on the wheel well. Other projects are priority at the moment.

How do you go about picking a solution? I am looking for the easiest install (that obviously doesn't significantly affect sound quality or pricing), and I mostly hear about OEM Audio Plus, sometimes Taco Tunes. Now I'm hearing Focal more and more?

 

[keyser_soze]

How do you go about picking a solution? I am looking for the easiest install (that obviously doesn't significantly affect sound quality or pricing), and I mostly hear about OEM Audio Plus, sometimes Taco Tunes. Now I'm hearing Focal more and more?

OEM Audio: Easiest install for a complete system, if you have the money.

Focal: Plug and play, so if you are just replacing the front door and dash speakers this is the easiest route. Most people would be very happy with just these.

Taco Tunes: This is the DIY route. Large variety of options from plug and play speakers to complete systems. They do sell plug and play harnesses and speaker mounts so you can use whatever amp/speakers you want.

Realistically the "install" is about the same for any stereo system. The OEM Audio is going to be the easiest for a complete system since it is literally plugging connectors in, but even a custom system with a adapter harness is only a little harder since you have to setup the wires to the amp(s). Keep in mind if you get a sub you will have to remove panels and run the wiring.

Youtube is your friend. There are plenty of install videos on 4Runners. Even if you have never installed a stereo before a few basic tools from Harbor Freight and you can follow along step by step.

 

[Louisiana Overland]

How do you go about picking a solution? I am looking for the easiest install (that obviously doesn't significantly affect sound quality or pricing), and I mostly hear about OEM Audio Plus, sometimes Taco Tunes. Now I'm hearing Focal more and more?

Its all out there to make it plug and play.

I used taco tunes harnesses to get from head unit to dsp(i used audisson bit ten) and again from amp (jl audio 700 watt) back to the factory soeaker harness. I did have to solder the audisson input plug to the taco tunes harness. The focals had toyota plugs. I ended up with a very nice set up that will absolutely blow an OEM audio or tacotunes system away. I spent around $2400. I did the entire install myself and I had never done anything like that before. I did bring it to an audio shop after completing the install to get the audisson “tuned”. Its a 24 band eq and time delay and crossover for each channel. They put a mic on the headrest and connected to audisson software on my laptop to set it up.

The tacotunes harnesses will work with any dsp or amp. And you can buy adapters to connect any speaker to toyota plugs. Or... you buy an entire system in a box.