More Speakers? And Lighting your Undercarrage

[Jordanbiird]

Hey Guys! I could'nt find a thread using the search and what not...

IM SORRY if there is already a thread about this, just couldnt find it!

If you have a link to help me on this just put it down below, or comment if you dont!

1. There are 6 Speakers in all the 3rd gen 4runners correct? 2 tweeters, 4 in the door panels.

2. Can installing a better Amp help make the 6 speakers sound louder or better quality?

3. Can you install more than the original 6 speakers? Like maybe put one under each of the driver and passenger seats, or behind the dash or somthing? If its possible, what is the easiest/best location to install them in?

4. If i were to add more speakers, would i also need to install an amp?

5. Would the new amp power all the speakers, or just the new ones that you add in?

6. If i also add a subwoofer, or 2 subwoofers, Will 1 amp power all my Audio, or do you need multiple amps?

7. What is the most speakers i could add and what are all the safe locations to install them at if its even possible?

Lighting undercarrage:

1. Can anyone link me to a How-to-install thread on this if there is one?

2. Is this a simple mod to install?

3. Generally, how many lights do people install when doing the rock lights/undercarrage lights?

4. Do you just thread wires to the battery?

5. Is there Kits sold for Specificly doing this? or is it just rednecking lightbulbs and screwing them onto the under carrage?

6. Can you give the lights any protection? like a plastic peice covering them to avoid getting broken, warn down?

Please comment below with links, detailed info, or pictures! THANKS SOOOO MUCH!

 

[BrianSD_42]

First off I would just like to say - ask as many questions as you want. That is what the forums are for. If you need help searching I highly*** recommend you see the specific link in my signature for "how to search BETTER" as I believe it will help.

Secondly there is nothing (not a single thing) that is unique or special about the audio setup in 3rd gen 4Runners. Any question about 4Runner audio could also be addressed by anyone with knowledge of Car Audio. There are multiple good threads on this site if you just search for "Car Audio" - note if you do NOT use my method then the word CAR will not show up in the search as it is only 3 chars but if you use the method linked the search will work.

I'd highly recommend these sites:
1.
Crutchfield MasterSheet? Car audio installation instructions for your specific vehicle at Crutchfield.com

2. (OMG go there now because its such a good resource)
Crutchfield Installation Guides


1. There are 6 Speakers in all the 3rd gen 4runners correct? 2 tweeters, 4 in the door panels.
For general purposes there are 4 speakers but the front speakers are two way component speakers while the rear are non-component speakers.


2. Can installing a better Amp help make the 6 speakers sound louder or better quality?
Installing an aftermarket amp WITH aftermarket speakers WITH an aftermarket head unit can sound far better than factory audio. You need to do all 3 - at once.


3. Can you install more than the original 6 speakers? Like maybe put one under each of the driver and passenger seats, or behind the dash or somthing? If its possible, what is the easiest/best location to install them in?
There is NO need to install more than one set of component (front tweeter and woofer) speakers and one set in the rear. There are a lot of reasons for why this is but just go with the fact that 99% of the audio listened to in vehicles is stereo sound (left and right) and the fact that the driver only hears the front speakers for about 80% of the sound --- this all means that your front 2 speakers (remember they are component speakers) will be your primary audio source.


4. If i were to add more speakers, would i also need to install an amp?
Don't add more than 4 speakers - ESPECIALLY if you are new to car audio and don't need more than 4 speakers. Remember I'm calling the component speakers a single speakers so think of your current setup as 4 speakers. Be sure to check out the links or google or youtube "how do component speakers work" for help.


5. Would the new amp power all the speakers, or just the new ones that you add in?
Again. You will only have 4 so the amp will support the 4. Amps are not designed for 3 pairs of speakers so that is not a good idea.


6. If i also add a subwoofer, or 2 subwoofers, Will 1 amp power all my Audio, or do you need multiple amps?
If you want to add a subwoofer or 2 of them then a separate amp or a 5 channel amp will get you there.


7. What is the most speakers i could add and what are all the safe locations to install them at if its even possible?
Use the factory locations. Do not install more than the factory number of speakers. No one does this and it won't make your truck sound any better. Trust me my truck sounds amazing and I only have 4 primary speakers (+sub). Again components are counted as 1 speaker.


:llama:

 

[BrianSD_42]

Here is my setup:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...rnal-build-maintenance-thread.html#post767748

PICS - Alpine Head Unit, Amp & Infinity Kappa's | Stereo Upgrades [moved]


Today I would like to talk about a few Stereo Mod's I've done. I put these speakers in over 2 years ago but last week I had my door panels off and thought I would take some pictures.

The panels are really easy to remove for anyone who hasn't done it before.

I needed a new stereo because my beloved 2003 Alpine MP3/CD Radio finally died last month. *It is pictured below

I ended up buying a really kick-@ss used Alpine MP3/CD Premium Head Unit on EBAY for $200. *It has a born on date of 2005



********* System Overview *********

1. Sound Deadening Mod - Roofing Material

2. Alpine Stereo CDA-9835

3. Infinity Kappa 6.5 Component Set

4. Alpine 75W RMS x 4 AMP

5. Ran new 14 (or 16g?) wires from the amp under the seat to all 4 doors (this is highly recommended by me)




********* Alpine CDE-HD149BT Stereo | Installed Feb. 2014 (3 of 3) *********

This one:
Alpine Electronics of America, Inc.

* 4V Pre-outs (x6)
* No tilt
* Decent screen
* HD Radio Tuning Built In (sounds great!)
* High Quality (2013 version) BlueTooth Audio
* Nice big clear buttons
* 109db Signal to Noise ratio ~ translation: amazing audio quality
* 3.5mm direct-wire audio input









******** Mounted my Nexus 7 (v2) Tablet *******

I used simple velcro to hold it in place






******* Wiring Install Pictures | How To *******












******* Speakers, Sound Deadening, and new wiring ******


Front Door Panel | 6.5" Infinity Kappa Speaker Set










Infinity Cross-Over Box - This comes with the speaker pair - Install in the door using 3M Double Stick Hardware Tape






Rear Speakers | 6x9 Kappas | Note: Don't do this, go with 6.5", my magnet is too big and prevents the window from going down all the way!





Here you can see the sound deadening material I used as a base layer. It is the cheap roofing material.









Installing The Front Tweeters






Installing the 2nd Layer Of Sound Proofing Material | Ensolite foam @ $20 yard | I bought 2 yards









:bluejump:

 

[UnderFire]

Can't really answer anything better than he already did, so I'll just say this, do yourself a favor and spend some time reading on a car audio specific forum, (Don't go to Caraudio.com, it's just full of BS) You will end up saving yourself Time, Headache and most likely money too, they'll help you to figure out what you want to do with the audio and what components will be best for your application.

Not sure if promoting other forums is frowned upon here, but I'd reccomend MobileAudioForum.com, it's a smaller forum with a large group of helpful and knowledgable people.

 

[BrianSD_42]

About the under vehicle lighting. Do you intend to drive with them on? It may be illegal. In CA the Highway Patrol will bust your @ss for having any kind of ground effects lighting turned on. In South Carolina it was quite common and COPs did not seem to care much.

It isn't frowned upon (as far as I know) to direct people to other forums when applicable. I feel no shame about directing someone to Crutchfield Forums or pretty much anywhere that specializes on something that T4R doesn't cover. If someone had depression and family problems the last place I would suggest they go is our /off-topic/ section. No, they would be better off discussing that on a different forum or medium.

 

[Jordanbiird]

About the under vehicle lighting. Do you intend to drive with them on? It may be illegal. In CA the Highway Patrol will bust your @ss for having any kind of ground effects lighting turned on. In South Carolina it was quite common and COPs did not seem to care much.

It isn't frowned upon (as far as I know) to direct people to other forums when applicable. I feel no shame about directing someone to Crutchfield Forums or pretty much anywhere that specializes on something that T4R doesn't cover. If someone had depression and family problems the last place I would suggest they go is our /off-topic/ section. No, they would be better off discussing that on a different forum or medium.

To follow up, did you mean that There is "4" Speakers in the 4runner, and the front door Speakers count as 1, because the tweeters and the door speaker are connected or somthing? So they count as 1 + the rear doors for a total of 4 Speakers?

And when you say 5-channel amp, Does that mean 4 channels for 4 speaker and 1 left over channel for the subwoofer?

And does the amp level of the Amplifier determine how much sound your speakers can give? The bigger the better?

And your saying a 5 channel amp would support 2 tweeters + the 4 speakers? + 1 sub woofer with no problem?

Also, does the stereo determine the quality your speakers give out? or is it just cosmetic looks of the stereo that determines the price of a stereo?

And I'm not really sure about the undercarriage lighting yet, its just a mod that realllly reallly interests me alot. Can i install it, and have a button to turn it On/Off?

And yes, its my mistake of not researching audio where sites have already explained it all, ill be sure to check out your link and get educated haha. But thanks for the answers!

 

[UnderFire]

To follow up, did you mean that There is "4" Speakers in the 4runner, and the front door Speakers count as 1, because the tweeters and the door speaker are connected or somthing? So they count as 1 + the rear doors for a total of 4 Speakers?

The difference between a Coaxial speaker and a set of component speakers is this:

A coaxial speaker is a Midrange and a tweeter, all in the same package, the tweeter is normally mounted in the center of the midrange, for simplicity, this is good, but for the best quality audio it is not.

The output on the midrange suffers because the tweeter is in the way, and it also has to be designed around the fact the tweeter is there. The tweeter side also suffers because quite frankly, the footwell is one of the worst places for a tweeter to be, it needs to be closer to eye level with the passengers to make sure you are getting the most out of it.

A component set is a Midrange and a tweeter seperate, they are both connected to a crossover which makes sure that both speakers are only getting the frequencies that they can play effectively. (Usually around 3Khz-16Khz for the tweeter and 80hz-3Khz for the midrange.) The crossover only uses one channel of an amp and divides the power as needed between the 2 speakers.

The advantages are that you are able to get more out of the midrange since it's dedicated, and the tweeter can be placed wherever you want for optimum output and sound quality.

Here is a Coaxial:

http://www.dziedzic.us/images/coaxial-speaker.jpg

And here is a component set:

http://static.bootic.com/_pictures/...6-5-160-watt-2-way-car-component-speakers.jpg

And when you say 5-channel amp, Does that mean 4 channels for 4 speaker and 1 left over channel for the subwoofer?

Exactly, a 5 Channel amp is basically a 4-Channel speaker amp with a Mono (single channel) Subwoofer amp in the same case. They are convenient , but are often more expensive than buying two seperate amps, and are rather large, the subwoofer channel is usually relatively low power (300-500W RMS), but for a first set-up you should be more than happy with that much power.

And does the amp level of the Amplifier determine how much sound your speakers can give? The bigger the better?

It's all about cohesiveness, each and every speaker you'll see will take a different maximum amount of power, you're going to want to make sure you're looking at RMS ratings, ignore Max power output.

Ideally, you'll want an amp that puts out a little more power than the speakers are rated for, it's not necesarry, but if you have a little headroom you can then set the amp to put out what the speakers are rated for and you'll have peace of mind knowing your amp is not being constantly pushed to it's limits, keep in mind, an amp is able to produce an amount of wattage from 1w to whatever it is rated for, you can set the gain so you know exactly how much wattage it's producing, here's a little article about how to set gain using a DMM, improper settings on amps are the #1 cause of amps overheating and failing.

http://knowledge.sonicelectronix.co...-amplifier-gains-using-a-digital-multi-meter/

And your saying a 5 channel amp would support 2 tweeters + the 4 speakers? + 1 sub woofer with no problem?

This is one of those questions that does not have a concrete answer, but yes if you get the right speakers and subwoofers to match the kind of power the amp can produce.

Also, does the stereo determine the quality your speakers give out? or is it just cosmetic looks of the stereo that determines the price of a stereo?

The stereo does effect the sound quality of your entire system, it is the source of every bit of sound that gets sent to the amp and speakers, more expensive decks generally are built with better Sound Processors and Digital Audio Converters, they also put out a higher source voltage which results in clearer sound.

A solid source unit can usually be had around 100-150$ depending on the features you're looking for, there are some more expensive units that people love, I have no experience with those though.

And I'm not really sure about the undercarriage lighting yet, its just a mod that realllly reallly interests me alot. Can i install it, and have a button to turn it On/Off?

And yes, its my mistake of not researching audio where sites have already explained it all, ill be sure to check out your link and get educated haha. But thanks for the answers!

Answers above, really it's all about research and proper planning to get the most out of any audio set-up, changing small things can end up having huge impacts on the listening experience, and a lot of things are subjective, and have no concrete answer.

 

[MStudt]

Yea, I think I found out how to search the forums, it helps alot, thanks guys !!

This is a quote from one of your other 7 threads you started yesterday. I'm going to assume you still don't know how to search, or just don't feel like doing it yourself? I give you credit for you enthusiasm, but try searching. Posting threads every hour about new questions that have been beaten like a dead horse get old. You'll start getting more and more people telling to search rather than helping. You've had people on every single one of your threads telling you how to search, and yet you still don't do anything for yourself.

Here's your rock lights.

This is not me being a dick, but me being honest. You've been called out on this several times over the last 24 hours, and nothing anybody says seems to matter.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Call: 1 (888) 955-6000

Crutchfield USA. Ask for sales. They can explain everything to you on the phone.


They don't know what T4R search is either lol.

 

[TCMach]

Check my build for rock lights. If I had to do it again I would buy a little bit better lights. I've already blown up two of these. Here's the link to the single post. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/1516785-post236.html