Need help with a system NEWBIE

[toonagolf11]

Hi guys, Im sixteen years old and just got an 2003 4runner SR5. As of now it has the non JBL stock speakers. I love Hiphop and some country. I love to have the high bass. I want to know what I should upgrade first. Being sixteen I dont have that much money. I have around 1200 but dont want to spend all of it if i dont have to. First I want an Double Din Touch screen Headunit (Need some suggestions). Also subs, speakers, and amp. I dont know much about systems as far as what kinds are good. Any help with what boxes, speakers, subs and what kind of amps I should get. I would like to have a box thats not to big and around 2 10's (If thats a good idea). I like the Pioneer AVIC-X920BT. Dont know if thats a good choice. Pictures would help if you already have a system. Please Help.

Take it easy
Thanks
Toonagolf11

 

[LIRunner03]

crutchfield.com

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

crutchfield.com

For info/reviews, then shop around to find the best deals. Get a budget in mind and work from there. Without a budget thrown into this, any suggestions would be pointless. Start with the h/u and sub/amp, those will make the most difference. For a low budget setup, don't throw out a single sub setup. You can get one to sound very clean, only not quite as loud as a pair.

 

[Hawkdog21]

First off, you need to do a lot of reading my friend, and then you need to get a realistic budget. Even if you bought the crap stuff 1200 would not cover everything you listed. If you are even remotely concerned about sound quality that budget will do one thing, either a nice headunit/front speakers, or all new speakers and amp, or and amp and sub and maybe speakers. When it comes to car audio, people think they can just get the best bang for the buck stuff and do a whole build at once with a small budget, and then it turns out to be lots of crap, rather than small increments of good stuff. If you really want the head unit first, then do that, but the for touchscreen NAV stuff is around 500 for the cheap stuff and a grand for the quality stuff. So to do the dash right, your whole budget is gone. If I were you, and you literally only had 1200 to spend, I would focus on the head unit, a simple 2 channel amp bridged to one 12 in a simple box. For just decent stuff, that will easily blow the 1200 dollar budget. When first getting into car audio, people make 2 mistakes, they set unrealistic budgets and they forget to factor in the hundreds of dollars in wirings, parts, materials and install.

I am not trying to be a debbie downer, I have just done MANY audio setups in 4runners over the years and I have learned from MY mistakes. Go step by step, slowly, and buy it right the first time, you wont be disappointed. I remember what it was like to be 16, and its always cool to be one of the first guys with a sub, but its the guy down the road that has the sub that hits hard and tight that will keep people coming back for more.

 

[toonagolf11]

First off, you need to do a lot of reading my friend, and then you need to get a realistic budget. Even if you bought the crap stuff 1200 would not cover everything you listed. If you are even remotely concerned about sound quality that budget will do one thing, either a nice headunit/front speakers, or all new speakers and amp, or and amp and sub and maybe speakers. When it comes to car audio, people think they can just get the best bang for the buck stuff and do a whole build at once with a small budget, and then it turns out to be lots of crap, rather than small increments of good stuff. If you really want the head unit first, then do that, but the for touchscreen NAV stuff is around 500 for the cheap stuff and a grand for the quality stuff. So to do the dash right, your whole budget is gone. If I were you, and you literally only had 1200 to spend, I would focus on the head unit, a simple 2 channel amp bridged to one 12 in a simple box. For just decent stuff, that will easily blow the 1200 dollar budget. When first getting into car audio, people make 2 mistakes, they set unrealistic budgets and they forget to factor in the hundreds of dollars in wirings, parts, materials and install.

I am not trying to be a debbie downer, I have just done MANY audio setups in 4runners over the years and I have learned from MY mistakes. Go step by step, slowly, and buy it right the first time, you wont be disappointed. I remember what it was like to be 16, and its always cool to be one of the first guys with a sub, but its the guy down the road that has the sub that hits hard and tight that will keep people coming back for more.

Thanks bro this helped alot. But I really would rather have the sub before the headunit? But people tell me that the sub will sound like poop with the stock headunit is this true?

 

[mistaj0hnny]

Definately agree with Hawkdog21. 1200 is a good start but it won't give you everything you want. Realisiticly speaking, if you want the whole setup (everything you mentioned) + labor/wiring costs, you're looking at at least 2g+. As mentioned above, focus on one thing at a time. Get the head unit first, that will automatically give you much better sound w/ your stock speakers. And yes, a sub will sound crappy with your stock head unit. From here you can either get a sub w/ your stock speakers or you can upgrade your stock speakers and get the sub after.

 

[subst4nce]

You can easily get away with a $1200 budget, IF you do some research.

Browse/post here: Car Audio Forum - CarAudio.com

They'll recommend you the best setup for your money.

Edit: Also, don't be afraid to buy used, I've bought most of my amps used to save a ton of money, and have 0 problems.

 

[toonagolf11]

Definately agree with Hawkdog21. 1200 is a good start but it won't give you everything you want. Realisiticly speaking, if you want the whole setup (everything you mentioned) + labor/wiring costs, you're looking at at least 2g+. As mentioned above, focus on one thing at a time. Get the head unit first, that will automatically give you much better sound w/ your stock speakers. And yes, a sub will sound crappy with your stock head unit. From here you can either get a sub w/ your stock speakers or you can upgrade your stock speakers and get the sub after.

Im going to start with a double din, then subs, then front speakers, then rear I think this will be the best for me

 

[scottishb]

Couple things to remember...
When buying an amp, look at the fuse rating rather than the watts.
Stock speakers can handle more than you might think, don't be afraid to pour on the power there.
Get a head unit with a good preamp voltage.
Subwoofer placement is VERY important.
Your system is only as good as it's weakest link.

 

[ricktcole]

Cadence Audio for an amp or amps you can get a good mono amp from them for about $250 about 1000 watts the ZRS 1502 is a good cheap 2 channel 600 watts that can be bridged mono its about $200. Don't get Pioneer they have ground issues.Get a good set of component speakers for the front you can go with Boston Acoustics for around $250 great sound Quality.Depends on the sub or subs you can get around $150 and up. Woofers Ext. best place to buy on the Internet.Try eBay.
Here's a pic of my set up DLS RA40 amp bridged to 200 watts x2 for the front Boston Acoustics comp, cadence Audio ZRS 1502 Bridged mono 600 watts for my Boston Acoustics G3 10 sub Kenwood HU nothing special the single 10 in the right box hits HARD everything about $1200 of the net. Don't forget that your system is only as good as the wires.

 

[Juanto]

I'm building a system for my 4R because I can't stand the awful sound quality from it. Granted it's an 04 but it's the LTD, I would hope Toyota would use better quality speakers for a balanced system.

I'm no professional but I know my way around a system, i've built a few handfuls of systems and you ALWAYS upgrade the head-unit first. You can integrate subs into a factory system but it's hard and sometimes more costly. I'm not sure if the non JLB has a sub so I'll assume that it doesn't which means you'd have to ether wire it up into the channel speakers which wouldn't give you the *umph* you're looking for or you'd have buy an integration kit which is a few hundred dollars (on other cars atleast). For a headunit, I plain on buying a Pioneer AVH P4300DVD off of amazon for 400 bucks, you can get a P4200 for a little cheaper.

As far as subs go, I know you like hip-hop and you want to sound cool but please, don't get 2 12"s. You end up pissing off everyone around you. For that, I'd recommend an 8 and wire it up to the factory location, it'll give you the *umph* you're looking for but you won't look like and sound like a **** wad. Once again, i'm not sure if the NON JBL has a sub or not but it might have the sub mount there. You can get a Memphis Audio for $110 and an amp for 150.

The doors are almost the most important part. If you are able you need to get a 2-way component set, send power to the mids and power the highs from the HU but thats in a perfect world. For something easy that you could just drop in, get coaxial but still get an amp to send power to, it'll make it sound better for when your sub cant reach those frequencies. Personally, I'll end up running focal in the doors but you could get away with some cheaper alpines and it'd be a step up from what you currently have.

The rears aren't all that important to be honest, you won't really notice a difference between stock and upgraded so unless you have some spare change i'd just leave those as stock.

As far as price, the head unit will be the biggest ding followed by the sub and then the doors. 1200 is a good number if you plan on installing it yourself, it's really quite easy, you just have to get past the "I'm ripping apart the inside of my car." As long as you take a lot of pictures and keep the screws, snaps and fasteners in a good place you'll be fine. Take your time and remember to disconnect the battery.

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

The non-JBL does not have the sub. It has a completely different setup in that area (cargo box). Trying to make the swap to the OEM style setup would be extremely costly (over $1000 just for the Toyota parts, not counting the amp/sub). A small sub in the proper enclosure is the way to go since there's not a sub there from the factory.

The biggest thing when you're on a budget is to do a little at a time, but remember the overall picture. Instead of more than one amp you could do a 5 channel, which would allow you to power sub and speakers all with the same amp. You need to break it down and do a little at a time, but make sure you know what direction you're headed so you don't have to redo everything.

 

[toonagolf11]

You need to break it down and do a little at a time, but make sure you know what direction you're headed so you don't have to redo everything.

Yeah man thats why I posted this to make sure I could get some tips so I dont have to redo it. Now im thinking about 2 10's. What kind of subs hit hard, but arnt going to break the bank. I have decided, HU and subs first. Then down the road change speakers.

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

Why two subs? On a set budget, I would take one higher quality sub over two cheap ones.

 

[subst4nce]

Yeah man thats why I posted this to make sure I could get some tips so I dont have to redo it. Now im thinking about 2 10's. What kind of subs hit hard, but arnt going to break the bank. I have decided, HU and subs first. Then down the road change speakers.

Go with a 12" Alpine Type-R in a ported box built to recommended spec. Best bang for your buck.

Don't cheap out on an enclosure, the right enclosure makes all the difference in the world.

 

[toonagolf11]

Why two subs? On a set budget, I would take one higher quality sub over two cheap ones.

So yall think I should go with one 12'?

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

I would personally choose a single 10 or 12 inch sub over a dual setup with your set budget. The dual setup will be louder, but the single will still get loud and also result in much better quality (assuming you spend the same amount of money and get one good sub vs two cheap ones).

 

[Offroader5]

Subwoofer placement is VERY important.

What? Subwoofer placement is NOT that important. The frequencies from a subwoofer are nondirectional (unlike frequencies from mids & tweets which are more unidirectional which is why the best imaging is to have them pointed right at the listening position). You could mount the sub in the rear quarter, in a box on the rear floor, in the center console, in one of the doors, in a box on the roof and have it come through the headliner.....point is is that it doesn't matter where you mount the sub...as long as the enclosure is correct for the sub you're using.

I'm no professional but I know my way around a system, i've built a few handfuls of systems and you ALWAYS upgrade the head-unit first.........As far as subs go, I know you like hip-hop and you want to sound cool but please, don't get 2 12"s. You end up pissing off everyone around you. For that, I'd recommend an 8.....it'll give you the *umph* you're looking for......

I agree with this. The whole system is going to be centered around two things...your HU and the amp you choose. If the HU doesn't have the connections you need or can't control other parts of your system then it's not going to work well. The amps importance not only comes with how much wattage you get or how clean the sound is (THD-total harmonic distortion), but also what kind of crossover settings you can adjust with it. For instance, it's nice to have an amp with a 12/24db octave switch so you can use 24db...but most only have the 12db. It's also nice to have the choice to switch either channel between high pass or low pass (HP/LP). Most amps only give that option on either the front or rear channel and not both...some don't give it at all.

The rears aren't all that important to be honest, you won't really notice a difference between stock and upgraded so unless you have some spare change i'd just leave those as stock......As far as price, the head unit will be the biggest ding followed by the sub and then the doors.

Yup, the rear door speakers are the last thing you should worry about. You want most if not all of your voice (midrange & tweet) to come from the front doors or what they call your "front stage" for the best overall sound quality. The rear doors would however do well in filling in the frequencies between what the midrange in the fronts and the sub are producing...which would be what's called the "midbass" frequencies. This could be done well with a 6" or 7" woofer. BUT...once you do this, you'd be better off going with a fully active crossover system and nothing passive...which means more amp channels (possibly added amps) and alot more tweeking....so worry about that when you're ready.

IMO...where you need to spend money should be in this order: HU, amp, door componants, then sub...and that's assuming you buy one sub (read below for clarification).

Why two subs? On a set budget, I would take one higher quality sub over two cheap ones.

So yall think I should go with one 12'?

I would personally choose a single 10 or 12 inch sub over a dual setup with your set budget. The dual setup will be louder, but the single will still get loud and also result in much better quality (assuming you spend the same amount of money and get one good sub vs two cheap ones).

Good suggestion. Honestly, I know you said above that you like the "high bass"...but IMO, you'd be way happier with a loud system that also sounds good. You can do this with much less subwoofer than most people think. An added plus is that it also saves you space.

You could get quite a bit of sound out of an 8". Take these for instance: http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9933-swr-843d-alpine-8-dual-4-ohm-type-r-subwoofer.aspx These things are wicked! They can handle more than 900 watts and the rest of the specs are just as nice. You take 1 of these in as little as .3 to .5 cu.ft. enclosure with the right amount of power...and you'd be set. Even better would be to take 2 of these and still only have a 1 cu.ft. enclosure, wire them up to a mono channel on a 5 channel amp and depending on the amp...easily pump 500-600 watts through them. Here's a thread on another forum just about this 8" Alpine: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-sq-forum-technical-advanced/100729-alpine-swr-823d-843d-8-subwoofers.html This is the sub I'll be installing into my Runners' rear OEM sub box and run about 400-500 watts to it.

As far as front speakers go..right now you'd be best off just going with a nice componant set with passive crossovers. Some nice one's out there are:
http://www.techronics.com/caraudio_10570_Hertz-HSK165-2-Way-6-1-2-inch-Component-Speakers.html
http://store.12velectronics.com/products/Imagine-I61%252d2-Component-%7B47%7D-Coaxial-Speaker-Set.html
http://www.phoenixgold.com/productDetails.aspx?ProductId=32&CategoryID=4
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EWMJNE/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=A2LYDS8AIU9VMR
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-AA6514--6-5-Inch-Speaker/dp/B001C3K7I4/ref=sr_1_9?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1303313191&sr=1-9

Don't let the prices of the componants push you away...this will be where you get the most clarity out of your system...plus, they differ in price across the internet, so you may be able to find them cheaper.

 

[rx900]

Honestly with a budget like yours, depending on your priorities, this is what I would put. These were my priorities on my old car that I recently sold.

You mentioned a double din touch screen. Do you really need Nav? X920BT is gonna run you around 1 grand. Maybe go with a AVH-P3200BT. It's a pioneer unit, you get the same good quality, double din, crisp clear screen, bluetooth (that was my priority, not sure if that matters to you if it doesnt you can get the P3200DVD for about $50 cheaper).

As for the sub, go with a single good one. I had a single 12" Alpine Type S (if you can squeeze the budget, then go with a Type R but I settled with the Type S since it already has decent bass that was setting off car alarms in parking lots) in a ported box (box with the air space for it to breathe). For the amp, find an amp that corresponds with the specs of the sub. In my old car, actually I'm not sure if the OHM matched, but I bought a used 1250 watt amp off craigslist which at first looked like old junk because it looked archaic but turns out it was a competition type amp class d i believe. This whole setup (no speakers yet) costed me around $750 already.

 

[DEKA3]

First off, you need to do a lot of reading my friend, and then you need to get a realistic budget. Even if you bought the crap stuff 1200 would not cover everything you listed. If you are even remotely concerned about sound quality that budget will do one thing, either a nice headunit/front speakers, or all new speakers and amp, or and amp and sub and maybe speakers. When it comes to car audio, people think they can just get the best bang for the buck stuff and do a whole build at once with a small budget, and then it turns out to be lots of crap, rather than small increments of good stuff. If you really want the head unit first, then do that, but the for touchscreen NAV stuff is around 500 for the cheap stuff and a grand for the quality stuff. So to do the dash right, your whole budget is gone. If I were you, and you literally only had 1200 to spend, I would focus on the head unit, a simple 2 channel amp bridged to one 12 in a simple box. For just decent stuff, that will easily blow the 1200 dollar budget. When first getting into car audio, people make 2 mistakes, they set unrealistic budgets and they forget to factor in the hundreds of dollars in wirings, parts, materials and install.

I am not trying to be a debbie downer, I have just done MANY audio setups in 4runners over the years and I have learned from MY mistakes. Go step by step, slowly, and buy it right the first time, you wont be disappointed. I remember what it was like to be 16, and its always cool to be one of the first guys with a sub, but its the guy down the road that has the sub that hits hard and tight that will keep people coming back for more.

Excellent advice!