OEM Audio + 5th Gen 4Runner audio system

[Soccer13]

I did the install with a friend I did the speakers in the doors and he did the wiring and amp install to the headunit and engine bay etc. this isn’t the yellow wire we had to run to the headunit and fish through the glove box and the rough the firewall hole into the engine bay and connect to the battery is it? Cause that all was a PITA!!

Hi,

Not really "wiring expertise" involved in my fix otherwise than illumination connector fix which was made moot by ultimate need to completely redo the harness. Rather it was more just PITA relative to redoing entire effort of original harness install which is more a matter of pulling panels and routing cables vs. wiring expertise.

Did you not install your own setup? If so and your problem is same as mine, then you would just be repeating what you already did which admittedly is not fun but doable. If not then I have a feeling Daniel would cover the cost of reinstallation at wherever you had it initially installed. I say this because he offered to pay for me to take it to a third party installer to get fixed as the problem was with their workmanship and not due to anything I did. I chose not to take him up on that offer because it just so happens I actually prefer doing it myself.

I would say first bridge needs crossing is working through troubleshooting with Daniel and then let me know if you still need advice and/or help we'll PM about it Okay?

Good Luck!

JC

 

[jcage89]

I did the install with a friend I did the speakers in the doors and he did the wiring and amp install to the headunit and engine bay etc. this isn’t the yellow wire we had to run to the headunit and fish through the glove box and the rough the firewall hole into the engine bay and connect to the battery is it? Cause that all was a PITA!!

I did have to re-run the wires with connectors on the end through the glove again and to the head unit... yes I know its a pain (use a wire fish and tie it to your existing harness before you pull it back out). However in my specific situation, there was nothing wrong with the yellow power wires that run through the firewall to the battery, only with the wires at the connectors attaching to the amps and the head unit. Because of this I saved a bit of effort by cutting the initial set of yellow power wires inside the firewall and butting them up to the yellow wires of the new harness inside the cab. That saved the effort of needing to pull them through again and reroute the new power wires all the way to the battery.

Again, though this was my specific situation and even though our symptoms are similar can't be sure if it completely matches yours which is why you should contact Daniel and do some troubleshooting with him. Text Daniel tomorrow... he's your best lifeline to fixing this but feel free to ask any more questions as you figure things out... happy to help answer those using my experience.

Once more, good Luck!

JC

 

[jmeds]

Hello everyone, after much research, reading every post 3 times, speaking with Daniel, I decided to go with the Reference 500Q system for my 3rd row. Still a little nervous about install, but will tackling during the Christmas holidays when I have time off. That being said any suggestions for order of setup? I had thought about doing the dash, door, and rear hatch speakers first before the wiring, amp, and subwoofer. Any thoughts or recommendations on doin it this way, plan on doing slowly over several days and figure this would be the best way to have the vehicle drivable if needed. Also, do I need to disconnect the battery just for the speaker install? Thanks in advance for any thoughts you have

 

[jratcliffe]

I met Daniel at Overland Expo East a few weeks ago - amazing guy! I sat in a Tacoma and demo'd the setup. I promptly stepped out of the truck and told Danny to "take my money!" Needless to say, i was blown away. I consider myself an amateur audiophile. I run a tube amp/B&W CM series/vinyl setup at home and use B&O headphones at work. I'm used to decent audio quality.

Today, I just installed the reference package in my TRD trail Premium. It took me a long time (6-7 hours) but no huge issues. Biggest was that they seem to use a more generic 6x9 now which requires you to completely unravel the Toyota front door wiring and re-tape it...simply because the OEM+ Female port is too far from where the stock port was....I thought not having to hack oem wiring was supposed to be the selling point of OEM+...? Anyway...

Overall, I'm underwhelmed so far...especially considering how blown away I was with the Tacoma setup. Don't get me wrong, it definitely has more clarity than stock and I still need to listen to it a lot and let it break in but so far...

1) The soundstage isn't nearly as clear
2) build quality of ALL the drivers is poor...they look like cheaply made components from China...you can clearly see glue all over the diaphragms!
3) confused as to why the tailgate 6.5's don't have tweeters like the rear doors...? Especially when they do in the installataion video.
4) Most of all, I still have to go to MAX volume to get powerful performance from my iPhone (USB or Bluetooth connection).

WTF!? Did I install incorrectly? Is the Tacoma setup that much better? Am I taking crazy pills!?

 

[4RNEWBIE]

Overall, I'm underwhelmed so far...especially considering how blown away I was with the Tacoma setup. Don't get me wrong, it definitely has more clarity than stock and I still need to listen to it a lot and let it break in but so far...

1) The soundstage isn't nearly as clear
2) build quality of ALL the drivers is poor...they look like cheaply made components from China...you can clearly see glue all over the diaphragms!
3) confused as to why the tailgate 6.5's don't have tweeters like the rear doors...? Especially when they do in the installataion video.
4) Most of all, I still have to go to MAX volume to get powerful performance from my iPhone (USB or Bluetooth connection).

WTF!? Did I install incorrectly? Is the Tacoma setup that much better? Am I taking crazy pills!?

In the demo Tacoma, did you listen to your music, or just the demo disc?

 

[jcage89]

Hello everyone, after much research, reading every post 3 times, speaking with Daniel, I decided to go with the Reference 500Q system for my 3rd row. Still a little nervous about install, but will tackling during the Christmas holidays when I have time off. That being said any suggestions for order of setup? I had thought about doing the dash, door, and rear hatch speakers first before the wiring, amp, and subwoofer. Any thoughts or recommendations on doin it this way, plan on doing slowly over several days and figure this would be the best way to have the vehicle drivable if needed. Also, do I need to disconnect the battery just for the speaker install? Thanks in advance for any thoughts you have

Sorry for late reply....

I would recommend replacing all of the speakers first. I personally wanted to to do it that way as a point of confirming the speakers all worked and hearing the difference just by ditching the crappy OEM speakers. Once you know all the new speakers are in and working, then proceed to the amp and harness install. This way you know that anything not working well when you are all done is totally because of the amp or harness. Good Luck!

JC

 

[jcage89]

I met Daniel at Overland Expo East a few weeks ago - amazing guy! I sat in a Tacoma and demo'd the setup. I promptly stepped out of the truck and told Danny to "take my money!" Needless to say, i was blown away. I consider myself an amateur audiophile. I run a tube amp/B&W CM series/vinyl setup at home and use B&O headphones at work. I'm used to decent audio quality.

Today, I just installed the reference package in my TRD trail Premium. It took me a long time (6-7 hours) but no huge issues. Biggest was that they seem to use a more generic 6x9 now which requires you to completely unravel the Toyota front door wiring and re-tape it...simply because the OEM+ Female port is too far from where the stock port was....I thought not having to hack oem wiring was supposed to be the selling point of OEM+...? Anyway...

Overall, I'm underwhelmed so far...especially considering how blown away I was with the Tacoma setup. Don't get me wrong, it definitely has more clarity than stock and I still need to listen to it a lot and let it break in but so far...

1) The soundstage isn't nearly as clear
2) build quality of ALL the drivers is poor...they look like cheaply made components from China...you can clearly see glue all over the diaphragms!
3) confused as to why the tailgate 6.5's don't have tweeters like the rear doors...? Especially when they do in the installataion video.
4) Most of all, I still have to go to MAX volume to get powerful performance from my iPhone (USB or Bluetooth connection).

WTF!? Did I install incorrectly? Is the Tacoma setup that much better? Am I taking crazy pills!?

Mine is awesome as fully installed finished product but the install and troubleshooting was sub-par because of faulty workmanship on my harness. That can make all the difference and the only way you have to resolve it is Daniel. Totally call him and he'll own your issues. He'll make it right one way or the other.

Good Luck.

JC

 

[jmeds]

Sorry for late reply....



I would recommend replacing all of the speakers first. I personally wanted to to do it that way as a point of confirming the speakers all worked and hearing the difference just by ditching the crappy OEM speakers. Once you know all the new speakers are in and working, then proceed to the amp and harness install. This way you know that anything not working well when you are all done is totally because of the amp or harness. Good Luck!



JC

Did just that, installed speakers first, then a few days later the amp and wiring, all I can say is wow! The sound quality is amazing! I took my time, watched install videos before and during install, called tech support and Daniel called back in no time and this was on the weekend. One little panic moment.......completed everything and turned vehicle on for the manic moment and nothing.......I FORGOT TO INSTALL THE FUSE......after a few seconds of sheer panic all was right with the world again. Having never done anything remotely like this to a vehicle I’ll admit I was a bit nervous, a bit scary pulling panels that hard to remove, thinking I hope I don’t break something the entire time. Definitely recommend this system, sound is great, everything looks stock and the sub for third row fits amazing, just like it came from factory. Thanks to all here, and a big thanks to Daniel at OEM Audio+, customer service is amazing.

 

[jcage89]

Did just that, installed speakers first, then a few days later the amp and wiring, all I can say is wow! The sound quality is amazing! I took my time, watched install videos before and during install, called tech support and Daniel called back in no time and this was on the weekend. One little panic moment.......completed everything and turned vehicle on for the manic moment and nothing.......I FORGOT TO INSTALL THE FUSE......after a few seconds of sheer panic all was right with the world again. Having never done anything remotely like this to a vehicle I’ll admit I was a bit nervous, a bit scary pulling panels that hard to remove, thinking I hope I don’t break something the entire time. Definitely recommend this system, sound is great, everything looks stock and the sub for third row fits amazing, just like it came from factory. Thanks to all here, and a big thanks to Daniel at OEM Audio+, customer service is amazing.

Nice, congrats and be careful about having your first mod under your belt... its a slippery slope so to speak that tests both the limits of your patience and you wallet!

In my case, I've done aftermarket audio and electrical mods for 20+ years since high school where I used to build sub boxes and install lights, etc. Your experience is about the best you can ask for. Mine was more typical. In my case I had done all the careful process and was met with something out of my control which was that the manufacturer did a crappy job of assembling my first harness. Wire pins were inserted incorrectly into the connecters, the wire gauge was too big for the connectors and they left things our of my initial package. In the end, the quality of the O+ solution and the commitment of the owner (Daniel) to supporting his customer (Me) outweighed the problems I encountered with their workmanship and attention to detail in my initial shipment. However it did require much patience and work on my part to get it right and realize the end result. Keep in mind that if you do more of these types of things, you accept that you will likely experience these challenges too.

Cheers

JC

 

[bluetaco]

I met Daniel at Overland Expo East a few weeks ago - amazing guy! I sat in a Tacoma and demo'd the setup. I promptly stepped out of the truck and told Danny to "take my money!" Needless to say, i was blown away. I consider myself an amateur audiophile. I run a tube amp/B&W CM series/vinyl setup at home and use B&O headphones at work. I'm used to decent audio quality.

Today, I just installed the reference package in my TRD trail Premium. It took me a long time (6-7 hours) but no huge issues. Biggest was that they seem to use a more generic 6x9 now which requires you to completely unravel the Toyota front door wiring and re-tape it...simply because the OEM+ Female port is too far from where the stock port was....I thought not having to hack oem wiring was supposed to be the selling point of OEM+...? Anyway...

Overall, I'm underwhelmed so far...especially considering how blown away I was with the Tacoma setup. Don't get me wrong, it definitely has more clarity than stock and I still need to listen to it a lot and let it break in but so far...

1) The soundstage isn't nearly as clear
2) build quality of ALL the drivers is poor...they look like cheaply made components from China...you can clearly see glue all over the diaphragms!
3) confused as to why the tailgate 6.5's don't have tweeters like the rear doors...? Especially when they do in the installataion video.
4) Most of all, I still have to go to MAX volume to get powerful performance from my iPhone (USB or Bluetooth connection).

WTF!? Did I install incorrectly? Is the Tacoma setup that much better? Am I taking crazy pills!?

I couldn’t agree more. I had this system in my Tacoma and it rocked! In my 4Runner not so much. Not sure why your tailgate speakers don’t have tweeters, mine do. Also my front door speakers have a much smaller magnet then the 6.5s, my Tacoma fronts had the same size as the rest. The lack of tweeters in your tailgate makes me wonder how “optimized” there systems really are. This system is kinda low on power/watts total. Maybe it works for the smaller volume of the Tacoma better then the 4Runner? Overall I’m happy with the system but makes me wonder how much better it could have been with $$$ spent on something else. The pic is stock front door magnet vs theirs. I don’t have a pic of the rest but they’re about 5x larger

 

[EdibleSmurf]

Did I install incorrectly?

Overall I’m happy with the system but makes me wonder how much better it could have been

To reiterate what [MENTION=8730]jcage89[/MENTION] mentioned earlier, I would recommend contacting the company. Been following this thread for some time now and the one common theme (in addition to the feedback regarding the sound quality) is that the customer service is committed to making things right.

Should you have to do any extra steps on a system that is "plug and play"? NO. However, I say make the company continue to earn your business. If they are realistically accessible and willing to provide you a solution, let them.

Meanwhile, I am anxious to hear both of your feedback on this. I have been actively saving up for this System and every opinion along the way has been so valuable in the process.

 

[bluetaco]

Daniel goes above and beyond. He worked very hard to make sure I received my system before a long road trip. I was missing the ambilical cord and he overnighted one from the FJ summit for me and answered many late night phone calls. Unfortunately I also had a bad amp but road trip was to cali so I ended up at his shop and he dialed everything in, so I know my setup is correct.

Overall I’m happy with it, the ease of everything is what I was looking for. I’m spoiled because I can get car audio at cost so I’ve done high end installs in all my cars and I just didn’t want the headache of building custom boxes, hiding amps and making it look stock all over again.

I would try to find someone around you so you could have a listen.

 

[jcage89]

Holy Crap!!! OEA+ setup to next level....

OK, so my OEA+ setup was sounding 1000 times better than the stock 4runner audio setup even with crappy FM radio or compressed sources like MP3 on USB. CD was really nice but a pain to swap out CD's, then it occurred to me I had another possible audio source. I enjoy listening to HQ headphone Audio at home on my Masters & dynamics headphones with my little AStell & Kern FLAC audio player MK70 Mk2. I was talking to a tech at IRIVER who suggested I could use the MK70's superior dual DAC to create a better source for the 4runner stereo by switching it to line out and using a HQ 35mm cable in the 4runner Aux jack. So, using it this way means you don't get the album/artist info on the 4runner screen.... BUT holy Cripes it blows away anything else I've heard in the 4runner … EVEN CD Audio. CD audio and FLAC sources are roughly the same lossless audio but the FLAC player sounds WAY better because its electronics for converting digital media to analogue are far better than the electronics in the 4runner audio system. I have now officially converted my 4runner into something very close to my headphone experience believe it or not. Anyone else owning a FLAC player like this that has done the O+ upgrade I strongly recommend you give this a try. Have the same song on USB MP3 source, Audio cD and on the FLAC player over the Aux input. Switch back and forth between the three sources and you'll be amazed how much better the FLAC over Aux sounds. Sorry if this is old news to some of you but it was a revelation to me. Very Very Happy!

Cheers JC

 

[Rhinle]

OK, so my OEA+ setup was sounding 1000 times better than the stock 4runner audio setup even with crappy FM radio or compressed sources like MP3 on USB. CD was really nice but a pain to swap out CD's, then it occurred to me I had another possible audio source. I enjoy listening to HQ headphone Audio at home on my Masters & dynamics headphones with my little AStell & Kern FLAC audio player MK70 Mk2. I was talking to a tech at IRIVER who suggested I could use the MK70's superior dual DAC to create a better source for the 4runner stereo by switching it to line out and using a HQ 35mm cable in the 4runner Aux jack. So, using it this way means you don't get the album/artist info on the 4runner screen.... BUT holy Cripes it blows away anything else I've heard in the 4runner … EVEN CD Audio. CD audio and FLAC sources are roughly the same lossless audio but the FLAC player sounds WAY better because its electronics for converting digital media to analogue are far better than the electronics in the 4runner audio system. I have now officially converted my 4runner into something very close to my headphone experience believe it or not. Anyone else owning a FLAC player like this that has done the O+ upgrade I strongly recommend you give this a try. Have the same song on USB MP3 source, Audio cD and on the FLAC player over the Aux input. Switch back and forth between the three sources and you'll be amazed how much better the FLAC over Aux sounds. Sorry if this is old news to some of you but it was a revelation to me. Very Very Happy!

Cheers JC

So the lossless formats aside, I listen to everything on Spotify. Spotify supposedly streams their music at 320 kbps. Would you think I should get notable difference playing spotify through AUX vs. BT?

 

[jcage89]

So the lossless formats aside, I listen to everything on Spotify. Spotify supposedly streams their music at 320 kbps. Would you think I should get notable difference playing spotify through AUX vs. BT?

I think what I noticed is a DAC in my A&K player that was better than the internal 4runner stereo. For a source that is equal (I.e. CD-Audio = lossless and FLAC = lossless) then the difference was made by the A&K FLAC player's ability to generate a superior analogue signal from the digital source vs. the 4runner head unit doing the same thing with the CD audio internally. Because of this, I would say any such player with superior DA converters that can output an analogue line signal to 4runner AUX port would improve your sound vs. the equivalent digital source being converted and output by the Toyota head unit. So if you are streaming your sportify on such a player with superior DAC connected to the aux port that would be better.

 

[niadh0]

I bought an OEM Audio Plus 500Q Reference system a few months ago with all speakers, amp, and a custom subwoofer made just for the 2010-2019 4Runners. I had first installed in my 2011 Canadian Trail 4Runner which did not come with any JBL radio. I followed all video instructions from OEM Audio Plus and installed it without any issues, enjoyed it for a couple fo months…. before I came across a 2019 VooDoo Pro that I could not pass. I also came to know that the Canadian Pro did not come with the factory JBL Audio. At first I was a bit disappointed because I prefer to keep it all stock…..but that was momentary as I already had the OEM+ setup which blends in under the seat and keeps the stock look. I am kind of glad now that Toyota Canada did not include JBL in the 2019 Pro because otherwise the MSRP would have been at least $3K more… like the US Pro model.

There are Three distinct advantages for choosing OEM Audio Plus 500Q Reference…..

1. Sound Quality. In short, it is ten times better than my my wife’s Runners’ JBL system. The experience is almost identical (within the 4Runner confines) to listening to the hi-Res audio on a two channel setup in my house. The sound is crisp and clear, the lows are well balanced with mids/highs and gives the full body to the sound tracks as intended. if you are crazy after just a ton of low frequencies to shake your butt then you should contact OEM+ as they might have an option to add a second sub. Ideally I would have gone for the Sony hi-Res ES deck but the deck alone comes for $2K+ and I would have to remove the stock setup. Besides the supreme sound quality, you can keep your stock looks and wiring etc. The DIY job is so simple. I am attaching some pics. My wife thought I was really crazy to open a brand new car….but really the install is very very simple with a couple of right trim tools. I am like a pro now… after installing it in 2011, removing it from 2011, and re-installing it in 2019.
2. Customer Service: Daniel La Blanc and the full staff of OEM + is super knowledgable and passionate about their product line up. I must say that they are committed to get the intended performance out of their product after the install. You may wonder how do they achieve that? see #3 for that. I dropped one of the speakers and damaged it a bit while the 2011 removal. When i contacted OEM+ they were very helpful in getting me a replacement…. and not only the replacement, but they practically stood next to me until after the install was done successfully and the system was tuned optimally. A+++ for the customer service.
3. Product technology: Toyota must have changed something in so many years. I jumped from 2011 to 2019 runner and I noticed that the volume level after connecting OEM+ setup was a bit lower and I felt as if I had lost some low frequencies. When I mentioned this to Daniel, he right away give me a series of very simple steps to upgrade the firmware of the unit and load the latest optimal tuning file to the 500Q unit. it took me a couple of simple steps to perform the upgrade using a computer…. and wow the system now performs better than it ever did before.

I use a Fiio Hi-Res portable player to load my high quality media files and connect the player to the AUX input of the Runner. This sound quality is far superior using the OEM Audio +. I had played the same Hi-Res player before the OEM+ install and it sounded like an off-air FM radio station using the stock setup. In fact any source (spotify over bluetooth, AM, FM, XM) that played in the stock setup significantly improved with the OEM+. I just had to mentioned the Hi-Res part more because the net gain in this source was simply out-sanding… .the point here is that OEM+ was the new component added to achieve this quality sound. Stock is just dull regardless of the type of source.

So the final question many of you would have is the price of the OEM+. yes it is steep a bit but if you really know what you want out of a music system then look no further. You get what you pay for…. Quality Sound, unmatched customer service, and superb product tune-ability. This is a very carefully tuned setup by many experts at OEM+ (you will know when you talk to them)…. And it does NOT tear apart you runner with distoring ultra low frequencies and/or screeching high frequencies with spiked mids. Choice of sounds quality and ow much you want to spend on it really depends on your taste… so be your own judge and decide on what you want to spend on…. at least find someone to audition this system if you are struggling with a decision. OEM Audio Plus gives a ton of value for your money.

…. after all there is a reason why you drive a 4Runner over any other new car that comes with a ton of bells&whistles.

about the install, yes you need to the front door wires and re tape them ( i used a nylon tie) and this step is not very difficult at all. I have the feedback to OEM+ about this already.

 

[niadh0]

I think what I noticed is a DAC in my A&K player that was better than the internal 4runner stereo. For a source that is equal (I.e. CD-Audio = lossless and FLAC = lossless) then the difference was made by the A&K FLAC player's ability to generate a superior analogue signal from the digital source vs. the 4runner head unit doing the same thing with the CD audio internally. Because of this, I would say any such player with superior DA converters that can output an analogue line signal to 4runner AUX port would improve your sound vs. the equivalent digital source being converted and output by the Toyota head unit. So if you are streaming your sportify on such a player with superior DAC connected to the aux port that would be better.

you are correct. OEM+ made it better overall but the super boost was inserted by the use of Fiio X5 hi-Res player placing Flacs etc via the Aux port. tremendous improvement first by the Fiio DAC and amped by OEM+ stuff. The same songs over spotify via Bluetooth are not nearly as good sounding.

 

[niadh0]

OK, so my OEA+ setup was sounding 1000 times better than the stock 4runner audio setup even with crappy FM radio or compressed sources like MP3 on USB. CD was really nice but a pain to swap out CD's, then it occurred to me I had another possible audio source. I enjoy listening to HQ headphone Audio at home on my Masters & dynamics headphones with my little AStell & Kern FLAC audio player MK70 Mk2. I was talking to a tech at IRIVER who suggested I could use the MK70's superior dual DAC to create a better source for the 4runner stereo by switching it to line out and using a HQ 35mm cable in the 4runner Aux jack. So, using it this way means you don't get the album/artist info on the 4runner screen.... BUT holy Cripes it blows away anything else I've heard in the 4runner … EVEN CD Audio. CD audio and FLAC sources are roughly the same lossless audio but the FLAC player sounds WAY better because its electronics for converting digital media to analogue are far better than the electronics in the 4runner audio system. I have now officially converted my 4runner into something very close to my headphone experience believe it or not. Anyone else owning a FLAC player like this that has done the O+ upgrade I strongly recommend you give this a try. Have the same song on USB MP3 source, Audio cD and on the FLAC player over the Aux input. Switch back and forth between the three sources and you'll be amazed how much better the FLAC over Aux sounds. Sorry if this is old news to some of you but it was a revelation to me. Very Very Happy!

Cheers JC

Ditto. I posted the same review. Using Fiio X5 with OEM+ via AUX... unmatched quality over any other sources.

 

[jpaws]

I am interested in this...
3. Product technology: Toyota must have changed something in so many years. I jumped from 2011 to 2019 runner and I noticed that the volume level after connecting OEM+ setup was a bit lower and I felt as if I had lost some low frequencies. When I mentioned this to Daniel, he right away give me a series of very simple steps to upgrade the firmware of the unit and load the latest optimal tuning file to the 500Q unit. it took me a couple of simple steps to perform the upgrade using a computer…. and wow the system now performs better than it ever did before.


Can you provide links and steps?

 

[Ferd_4R]

^ also interested


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