Speaker question... just speakers
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BrianSD_42
New member
Replacing 15 year old OEM speakes with new OEM speakers will most likely improve the sound.
If you want to stay stock just get new stock speakers from "Camelback Toyota Online Parts"
If you want to stay stock just get new stock speakers from "Camelback Toyota Online Parts"
A.Wilson013
New member
I upgraded my speakers to Infinity Kappas before my headset and was INCREDIBLY disappointed in the "upgrade" as they sounded clearer, but were not any louder, and the bass sucked.
Replaced the head unit with an Eclipse 5435 and was grinning from ear to ear. Sounded great, but bass was still a LITTLE lacking, so I picked up an Infinity Basslink from Craigslist for $50. Perfect.
One day I plan to get a 4 channel amp for the speakers, but it's nowhere near the top of my list. Very happy with the current setup.
Replaced the head unit with an Eclipse 5435 and was grinning from ear to ear. Sounded great, but bass was still a LITTLE lacking, so I picked up an Infinity Basslink from Craigslist for $50. Perfect.
One day I plan to get a 4 channel amp for the speakers, but it's nowhere near the top of my list. Very happy with the current setup.
gamefreakgc
Elite Member
Yes, it will improve. Speakers don't age very well and tend to get crackly and start to cut out. I still have stock ones in the rear and they hardly even work (that will change soon).
Stay away from cheap brands though, you get what you pay for. If you are near a Fry's or Best Buy or whatever electronics store you have, listen to their speakers on display to get an idea of what you like best. Personally, the best I've heard are Infinity speakers, and now that I've heard them I can't let myself settle for anything else. Alpine and Kicker are also good, but watch out for any bargain brands (I'm including Kenwood in that list).
Bottom line: For $100-$150 or so you should be able to replace them with nice speakers. You can also look into putting 6 1/2 in speakers in the front and 5 1/4 inch in the back (you might have to buy new brackets though) for more mid and low bass for your music.
I should add, you want to match the RMS power of your head unit to the speakers. So if you have the stock unit which I think is around 10-15 RMS, you don't want some super expensive speakers that are in the 100 RMS range, they will be very quiet and not all that great. Shoot for ones in the 30-50 RMS range.
Stay away from cheap brands though, you get what you pay for. If you are near a Fry's or Best Buy or whatever electronics store you have, listen to their speakers on display to get an idea of what you like best. Personally, the best I've heard are Infinity speakers, and now that I've heard them I can't let myself settle for anything else. Alpine and Kicker are also good, but watch out for any bargain brands (I'm including Kenwood in that list).
Bottom line: For $100-$150 or so you should be able to replace them with nice speakers. You can also look into putting 6 1/2 in speakers in the front and 5 1/4 inch in the back (you might have to buy new brackets though) for more mid and low bass for your music.
I should add, you want to match the RMS power of your head unit to the speakers. So if you have the stock unit which I think is around 10-15 RMS, you don't want some super expensive speakers that are in the 100 RMS range, they will be very quiet and not all that great. Shoot for ones in the 30-50 RMS range.
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Kmurt
New member
I know you're just asking about the speakers but I just upgraded my stock head unit to a Pioneer head unit and kept the stock speakers.
Everything sounds so much better with just the head unit upgrade. Maybe in the future I will upgrade the speakers but for now, I'm very happy with how everything sounds.
Everything sounds so much better with just the head unit upgrade. Maybe in the future I will upgrade the speakers but for now, I'm very happy with how everything sounds.
stir_fry_boy
New member
You can't install Kappas without an amp, it will sound horrible. They are high powered speakers, and require many more times the power of the stock deck, even an aftermarket deck. Just buy an Alpine 300/4 and call it a day. You will never look back. I picked up one for $60 on Craigslist. Now I have the Infinity Kappa 4 amp, better sounding amp. Paid $200 for that one.
Kappas are the only speakers that can handle the bass, a good tune on the amp does wonders.
Scramble
New member
Pioneer makes the best cheap speakers out there & will be fine with the factory radio.
Great speakers need power so a new head unit & amp are mandatory for more expensive speakers like Infinity & JL Audio.
stir_fry_boy
New member
Agree completely. Infinity makes a Reference line that can be used with or without an amp. Either way, they sound great. The Kappas are a huge step above the References.
You will never regret getting an amp. I always buy my subs, speakers and amps off craigslist, checking them to make sure they work before buying. Expect to pay 1/2 of new or lower. Alpine and Rockford make great starter amps that are very reliable. A new Alpine 300/4 at Best Buy is $200, which on Craigslist, you can get for around $80. IMHO, best bang for the buck spent is on an amp no matter what speakers you have.
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skier46er
Member
I replaced mine with these and I still need an adapter for the rear speakers and the front just squeeze in.
Amazon.com : Package: Kicker 11ds65 6.5" 2 Way Ds Series Pair of Coaxial Car Speakers + Kicker 11ds525 5.25" 2 Way Ds Series Pair of Coaxial Car Speakers : Component Vehicle Speaker Systems : Car Electronics
Amazon.com: Metra 72-8104 Speaker Connector for Select Toyota Vehicles: Car Electronics
Amazon.com : Package: Kicker 11ds65 6.5" 2 Way Ds Series Pair of Coaxial Car Speakers + Kicker 11ds525 5.25" 2 Way Ds Series Pair of Coaxial Car Speakers : Component Vehicle Speaker Systems : Car Electronics
Amazon.com: Metra 72-8104 Speaker Connector for Select Toyota Vehicles: Car Electronics
BrianSD_42
New member
You can use the reference line speakers with our without an amp but you wouldn't want to use them with the stock head unit, at least in my opinion.
Whew! 135 a piece for the fronts and 99 a piece for the rear. I think I will find a different route
SpidermanGeek
New member
I've had a brand new pair of JBL 5 1/4 still in their box just sitting in my basement for like the past 6 years. I should really take a few hours to throw them into the T4R. lol. I just don't tend to listen to the radio much, so never made it a priority.
LookAtThatDog
New member
I have stock original oem speakers, an Alpine BT-52 head unit, Alpine Type R 12" sub in a ported box, and a mrp-m500 500 watt sub amp.
I have a high pass filter on the door speakers and a low pass filter on the sub (set up on head unit) and the stereo seriously cranks. I love it and don't intend to change it unless something breaks. I would 100% recommend it. Easier to install than door speakers, you get the bluetooth setup for calls and using music streaming from your phone, and enough bass to piss of the neighbors.
This is just my experience, YMMV
I have a high pass filter on the door speakers and a low pass filter on the sub (set up on head unit) and the stereo seriously cranks. I love it and don't intend to change it unless something breaks. I would 100% recommend it. Easier to install than door speakers, you get the bluetooth setup for calls and using music streaming from your phone, and enough bass to piss of the neighbors.
This is just my experience, YMMV
start with a budget.. I recommend changing out the head unit first but if you are looking for just speakers then go to Crutchfield or sonic electronix. You get what you pay for.
jeremyc74
Banned
If your stock speakers are in bad shape you'll defiantly get some improvement in sound quality by replacing them, but aftermarket speakers don't usually sound as good with the factory head unit as the OEM speakers did when they were new.
The aftermarket stuff is generally designed with higher power levels in mind, and they don't work as well with the lower power levels supplied by the stock head unit. The OEM speakers are matched with the power output of the head unit, so they work much better.
That said, the head unit is easy to swap, and for less than $200 you can get a lot of features these days. If you swap out the speakers now you can always do the head unit later. There are a lot of times I don't like to mess with a factory head unit because of looks or steering wheel integration, or odd sizes, but you don't have those issues with the 3rd gen. The aftermarket stuff will bolt right up, the adapter harnesses make it almost idiotproof, and they look fine in most cases.
The aftermarket stuff is generally designed with higher power levels in mind, and they don't work as well with the lower power levels supplied by the stock head unit. The OEM speakers are matched with the power output of the head unit, so they work much better.
That said, the head unit is easy to swap, and for less than $200 you can get a lot of features these days. If you swap out the speakers now you can always do the head unit later. There are a lot of times I don't like to mess with a factory head unit because of looks or steering wheel integration, or odd sizes, but you don't have those issues with the 3rd gen. The aftermarket stuff will bolt right up, the adapter harnesses make it almost idiotproof, and they look fine in most cases.
Kryptoroxx
New member
I have a pair of speakers that I will recommend that are out of the bargain bin. I recently got some lanzar 6.5" 3 ways for 20 bucks and something off amazon and for the price they sound great. Imaging isn't spectacular but I used them for a garage stereo setup off a 15 watt Pyle amp. You will hear an improvement and if you have the stock "premium" amp they should sound even better than the stock hu.
If you would like to go the amp route pm me. I have an old crossfire tek 4 channel that is in perfect condition and I have no use for it.
Another route on amplified speakers is 2 way component sets. You have mainstream like infinity, kicker, Rockford fosgate, jl, and Polk. High end such as CDT, diamond audio, hertz, focal, mb quart, and many others. Then there's bargain like Pyle, Lanzar, soundstream, boss, and a few others.
For a good component set that is flexible with setups and smooth on the ears I recommend Cerwin Vega. Nice mid bass response, highs are a little sharp for my taste though. It also comes at a decent price at around 70-90 bucks for a component set.
BTW crutchfield is always overpriced. Do your research on diyma and but your stuff on woofers etc or amazon. Usually you will find the best prices there. EBay has fakes or b-stock products so I generally stay away from them.
If you would like to go the amp route pm me. I have an old crossfire tek 4 channel that is in perfect condition and I have no use for it.
Another route on amplified speakers is 2 way component sets. You have mainstream like infinity, kicker, Rockford fosgate, jl, and Polk. High end such as CDT, diamond audio, hertz, focal, mb quart, and many others. Then there's bargain like Pyle, Lanzar, soundstream, boss, and a few others.
For a good component set that is flexible with setups and smooth on the ears I recommend Cerwin Vega. Nice mid bass response, highs are a little sharp for my taste though. It also comes at a decent price at around 70-90 bucks for a component set.
BTW crutchfield is always overpriced. Do your research on diyma and but your stuff on woofers etc or amazon. Usually you will find the best prices there. EBay has fakes or b-stock products so I generally stay away from them.
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gamefreakgc
Elite Member
How do you test them? Do you pull off your door panel and rewire the speaker or something?
stir_fry_boy
New member
Yeah, most of the time they have the components hooked up so you can test. If not, just plug into the amp directly from it and test it. If you don't have an amp, yeah you have to undo a door panel and plug in the speaker. I can have mine off in 60 seconds.
Subs are easy. Amps you just need power, ground and signal in order to test if you don't have the wires already in the vehicle. Most of the time, they have the amp already hooked up.
Never buy anything you can't test.
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