JBL System Sound Quality

[isuvbjordan]

Hey guys,
First time poster here; new member as well. I've been following the site for a couple weeks now and have gained massive amounts of great information on purchasing a 4th gen 4Runner. I've never owned one, but have heard fantastic things about them; I really want to see what all the hype is about! I've been looking for a 2003-2005 for roughly two weeks now and I've taken all your advice on being patient and being willing to drive a ways away to get "the right one".

I'm a huge music nut, so a good sound system is going to be high on my list. My question is, do I look for a runner with the JBL sound system in it? Or plan on installing my own sound system. I listen to mostly rock, hard rock, and some metal. :guitar2:

What do you guys think of the stock JBL premium sound system that some 4Runners come with?

Thanks in advance!

 

[paraordnance]

even 6-disk, 10-speaker JBL Synthesis stereo in 4Runner is very marginal in sound quality and bass response. I would not look for one intentionally but would rather spend $1000 or so on new deck, 5 chanel amp, 2-way components in front and rear doors + 10 or 12" subwoofer.

 

[Asmara]

I have the JBL 10 speaker system. My wife loves music and loves the system. I was just on the side of the house and heard her leaving to run errands; clearly and LOUDLY with plenty of bass thump (windows up, AC on). She is not, however, an audiophile.

If you just want a decent factory system, the JBL one if pretty good IMHO. If you worry about bit rates when encoding MP3s then Paraordinance is certainly right.

If you get a factory JBL and have an iPod, just be sure to add a USA Spec PAC-15 for your iPod and you'll have more music than you know what to do with.

 

[12guns]

I say the JBL system is quite good for a factory system. I have my wife's 08' Accord to compare it to, and her system sucks. Mine is completely stock, but sounds great. ARK_SWAMP_RIDER did a great mod w/ a new amp and sub. I've heard it and it sounds AWESOME.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-g...-amp-install-pics-info.html?highlight=JBL+AMP

This is the link, sorry I couldn't copy just the shortcut. Hope that helps.

 

[jetboy1975]

I'm on my second t4r with the 10 speaker JBL surround system and I haven't been impressed. Decent bass and front speakers but the rears crackle and get a lot of static even at low volumes on both vehicles. Took them apart thinking loose wires etc but couldn't find anything wrong. I found it almost sounds better with the surround turned off. I'm just about ready to rip it all out and install custom. Custom will always sound better and to your taste.
It could be my ears though because the stock in my '06 Accord sounds way better to me.:biggrin2:

 

[rockwall]

My recommendations

I have an 03 Limited with the JBL system. It originally wasn't anything special. I thought that there was virtually no bass. I replaced the head unit with an Alpine CDA9884 with an I-pod interface. I then added a 1000w Kenwood mono amp and a 10" Alpine sub. It sounds great and has outstanding bass. I am a classic rock and metal guy. I know that a full speaker replacement would be even better, but I didn't want to lay out the cash for replacement speakers.

As the other guys have said, don't intentionally just look for the JBL package, but if you get one you can definitely make it better.

 

[zimm]

I was initially unhappy with the JBL system in my '08. In my past 5 vehicles, I've always ripped out the stock stuff and went with JL audio components, amps, and stealthbox along with a nice head unit.

I was going to do the same, but first put in a Kenwood Nav/dvd head unit with adaptor. Well it totally woke the system up! Now it sounds good enough to leave the speakers in place. Guess the aftermarket head unit puts out more signal to the JBL amp. I also get a lot more base than stock too. I don't plan to upgrade anymore.

 

[chaz]

if it had the JBL, fine but that wouldnt make it a selling point for me, so i say , go aftermarket.

 

[eskimochaos]

Audio systems are completely subjective when it comes to owners opinions. In general most stock stereos suck - on most cars.

I've been in JBL and non-JBL equipped 4runners. JBL has more "stage" but SQ isnt much different.

I ripped out the entire system and have JL components, Alpine & Audioque amps, and a Kenwood NAV deck. Almost 2.5k later and I have an incredible sounding 4Runner.

 

[ric]

Audio systems are completely subjective when it comes to owners opinions.

totally agree, thats like asking Whats the best oil, whats the best tire lol
IMHO the stock radio is fine as Im not a big stereo guy, its just backround noise to me, Im consintrating moreso on the other driver or the trail :driving:

 

[James_T]

The JBL Synthesis system isn't bad, but it's not great, in my opinion. I remember someone a while ago posting a quite from a JBL engineer, saying they design their car audio systems to work like an orchestra stage, with sound outputting mostly from the front. This seems fine in practice, but if you pay attention to it, some 4Runners with it just sound like a few speakers up front, and the rear door / hatch speakers are just terrible. I replaced my head unit, and it's not much of a difference. The stock system would do well with replacement speakers here and there.

 

[Autbond]

I don't have the JBL system and have a Kenwood double din head unit and two Alpine 500 Watt Mono Amps powering two Alpine Type R 12's (bass turned all the way down) and it sounds great. The key is to take all the bass you can away from the speakers and let the subs take care of all the bass. This greatly decreases any distortion coming from the speakers pumping out bass notes to hard. Believe me when I say that an aftermarket headunit and a sub will make even the non-JBL sound system sound good.

 

[blkexp98]

I ordered my 4runner without it and it came with it. At first i thought it was ok but after having it for a while you can tell the bass is trying to come out all the speakers too much. To me is just sounds kind of thick or muddy. I want to get something aftermarket like i planned to origionally but havent found a good solution for a sub. I like how the JBL is out of the way but at the same time i want more output so i can turn the bass down with a crossover for the highs speakers.

BTW: Whats the story with the tweeter spots in the door without them in it? Another issue is the JBL head units LCD seem to die often. Ive had mine replaced once and now the same thing happens every day for the last few months. I just havent decided if i wnt them screwing with my car again. Its almost like they tried to make the job difficult and still couldnt get it back together right. Not to mention managing to relase the cable from the gas cap release just to leave it hanging. Why they even messed with that who nows.

 

[Richierollz]

I have the JBL synthesis premium system in my 07 limited, It sounds great with my Eclipse 6620 DVD/NAVI. *Note: I didnt want to mess with any system radio crap just to have it stolen, However it does sound great, if it didnt i would have pulled it out already! Also I have no need for subwoofers and amps all over the place in my truck, and I'm lazy!! my 2 cents

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

As 12guns posted early in this thread, I took out the stock sub and put a 8" JL sub in it's place, powered by a JL amp. In my last 4runner I ran a couple different setups (single 10" sub, dual 10's, and single 12) powered by different amps. I didn't like the bulk of it, so with this one I was looking for something out of the way. My amp is mounted under the passenger seat, and it's impossible to tell I have an aftermarket system looking from outside (prevents theft). Out of all my setups, this single 8" sub is by far my favorite, when packaged with the JBL system. I love the sound quality, but I'm also no audiophile. As mentioned, best part about it is that it looks completely factory, but packs a very nice little punch.

 

[Ilovesnow]

I actually like the JBL sound system. When I was shopping for my 4runner, this was NOT an item on my list. Mine happened to have it and after a little over a year of ownership I am still happy with it. For me, this is more money to spend on other mods. :thumb3:

My last SUV had a sound system consisting of all aftermarket components, and I was pleasantly surprised the first time I took my listened to the JBL system. As far as the sound being heavy in the front - I have the fade set to 1 or 2 towards the rear.

In sum: if you find a 4runner with the JBL sound system, give it a try before you rule it out. I may eventually replace the head unit for more power as others have done, but I think that I will leave the speakers alone.

 

[deodra]

I replaced the h/u in my 2003 with JBL and the highs are better, but there's still little to no punch coming from the sub. Most of the bass is coming from the doors. I have been on the phone for hours with Crutchfield and was finally told that, in general, this is how the 4Runners are. I don't get it...

 

[CookieRoe]

I replaced the h/u in my 2003 with JBL and the highs are better, but there's still little to no punch coming from the sub. Most of the bass is coming from the doors. I have been on the phone for hours with Crutchfield and was finally told that, in general, this is how the 4Runners are. I don't get it...

Sounds like crap b/c your JBL headunit isn't connected to its JBL amp that you most likely dont' have. I'm guessing your rig didn't have JBL originally. If not, that's why the sound is bad.

 

[deodra]

Sounds like crap b/c your JBL headunit isn't connected to its JBL amp that you most likely dont' have. I'm guessing your rig didn't have JBL originally. If not, that's why the sound is bad.

It has the JBL Synthesis in it. The JBL amp is back there and active. I metered it out to verify. I have all of the metra cables and adapters in the vehicle as well. I've gone through two different make/model headunits and two shipments of cables. It's a really goofy issue. I install hardware in military and law enforcement vehicles and know wiring very well. It's wicked-weird. I'm looking to just replace the amp and sub anyway, but seriously. Crazy.

To clarify, the rig had all JBL Synthesis hardware in it previously. Initially, I replaced the h/u with a Pioneer that Crutchfield had on sale. It had issues with the voltage output and could not power on the amp. I had it replaced with a Kenwood that had the right output and everything turns on and works aside from hardly and low-end sound coming from the sub. You can just barely hear and feel it when you're in the cargo hold.

 

[blkexp98]

This may or may not be the issue as I haven't been down this road yet but did you raise all the levels before removing the jbl head unit? I have read that sometimes in order to get the output out of the factory systems in some cars you have to turn them up before removal. Otherwise its like the amps dont remember the real levels if that makes any sense. Anyway that's just a free thing to try.

Hopefully someone with the same issue will chime in soon.