sound in 10 speaker jbl not great...

[juandixon]

love the navigation and the car in general but the only downside is the stereo.

I know jbls are known for pretty good stock systems but for some reason the 2003s 4runners don't sound that great even at 260 watts of power for the 10 speaker system.

the sub (from what i read in other threads) in the back rear doesn't sound that great. plus the crossover signals are pretty crappy. I rather see toyota making use of the 4runner's big backside a sub sound housing and let the 6x9 speakers in the front handle the mids and highs, rather than all the bass.

I saw thai's response on how the 4runner is a front based sound system, very interesting read. however I do feel for those that feel the rear sound is very much lacking(my first thought when I test drove the car).

the only adjustment I made to help make the stereo sound better was turning off surround sound at higher volumes.

it almost seems this system was designed for a family oriented driver rather than for thumping audophiles.

 

[Thai]

Yeah, unfortunately, i don't think that the subwoofer in the cargo area is meant for big bass, especially bass that reaches the front driver. The small bass from this sub is more for the rear (2nd row) passengers. The front driver/passenger is served by the 6x9 speakers which function both midbass/midrange and bass.

The Mark Levinson system in the GX and LX470 function in similar fashion. The only difference is more RMS power and better quality speakers, resulting in cleaner bass and more defined sound. Both systems have 240 watts RMS (continuous), which amounts to about 450-500 total/max watts. In addition, they have a midrange speaker in the front that serves up nice clear vocals. The GX goes a bit further with a center channel (similar to JBL 4runner).

I think that Toyota does sell a slim subwoofer for it's other models. This sub is small enough to fit under the driver's/passenger's seat. This may help bring the bass to the front.

Or, you may try the Kenwood's or Infinity's sub:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=192&highlight=kenwood

Good luck on finding a solution.