gamefreakgc
Elite Member
Updated the front page.
Here's my complete sound overhaul - on a modest budget. I just finished installing sound deadening on the front doors and new Infinity component speakers up front powered by a modest amp. I knew the stock speakers were pretty awful since I've swapped speakers in other cars before but this is the first time I've gone a more serious route. Here's what I've done:
Installed Alpine head unit for BT & USB - $99
Alpine CDE-143BT CD receiver at Crutchfield.com
Installed Alpine power pack, 45RMS x 4 (a bit higher since the Infinitys run at 3 ohms, not 4) - $100. Best part? NO EXTRA WIRING NEEDED!
Alpine KTP-445A Power Pack Compact upgrade amplifier for your Alpine receiver ? 45 watts RMS x 4 at Crutchfield.com
Installed 6 1/4 in. Infinity Reference X Components - $105
Reference 6500cx - Infinity US
Sound deadening on front doors as well as on the center console and transmission tunnel - $395 total spent in materials for the entire vehicle from RAAMaudio - Automotive sound deadening products Also, they have a GREAT how-to article for newbies like me, not every surface needs to be plastered with the stuff for great results. I ordered an additional amount, now up to $395. Wanted more foam and mat materials to do the entire cargo area since it's so noisy compared to the front end now.
6 1/4 in. Coax Infinity Reference X speakers on rear doors (current ones are completely blown out) - $70
Infinity Reference X REF-6502ix 6-3/4" 2-way car speakers — also fit 6-1/2" openings at Crutchfield.com
Sound deadening in the rear cargo area, it's noisy.
Powered Blaupunkt 10" subwoofer - $216
Blaupunkt Blue Magic XLb 250 A Single 10" subwoofer enclosure with 250-watt amp at Crutchfield.com
Wiring kit from Crutchfield, 10 gauge - $40 Don't get this one: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_142PA8BX/EFX-PA8BX-Wiring-Kit.html?tp=2919, the RCA's failed in a week. I'm so bummed. Get the Kicker or higher quality ones that have RCA's made with copper for more strength.
After doing the front end of the vehicle, it is a HUGE improvement in sound, at least to me. I still get a lot of road noise from the rear of the vehicle but the speakers sound awesome. I tested it along the way to hear improvements to see what was most effective:
Now that I'm really going at it, an amp and sound deadening or some sort of insulating foam is a must. Those showed way more improvement than just swapping speakers.
Also, no more distortion at low frequencies that was hurting my ears
Did I mention I did not have to do any wiring for the amp? That was the best part, it's literally plug and play. Only tricky part was where to mount it, I ended up putting it right below the head unit but far enough away that heat would not be an issue. I'm all for easy routes, and besides a new head unit plus a new amp for $200 is a complete steal. Crutchfield sells open packages for cheap, and Amazon and Ebay will have steals if you watch long enough.
I've put in about $900 to do the whole 4Runner, but it could be done for less if you're not so picky about sound. There are some decent Alpine or Pioneer speakers out there for much cheaper, I just love the sound of the Infinity Reference X line. Decent bass but the mids and highs just sound sooo good to me. Highly recommend going to Fry's or a car audio store to listen to speakers before you buy, they really do sound different when compared. If you guys want some photos I can take some of the next parts of the installs, such as my plan on how to fit 6 1/4 in the 5 1/4 openings on the rear doors and such. I was really cramped for time over the past week so I didn't have any time for photos of what I did up front but could take off the door panel if you really, really want me to. I've put in about 10 hours total so far with the install, it's slow going especially when I have to solder new wiring but not hard at all.
UPDATE: Just finished the deadening and wow, what a difference. The rear cargo really is the problem spot in our vehicles. There's still engine noise but there's nothing coming from the back of the 4Runner anymore. All the sounds are still there but reduced, if that makes sense. Also pretty much all high-frequency sounds are gone. I can hear my wife talk to me much, much better than before.
If you wanted to go one step further, do the front floor, that's the next spot that would need it. I'm not going to though, I'm happy with what I've got.
Anyway, hope this helps someone looking to plan their next sound upgrade on their 4Runner! Here's the photos for reference (I adjusted my crossover settings so had the door panel off this evening):
Tweeter:
That's right, I glued it, just like how the stock ones were. The ones I have are in a solid casing, there's no magnet to move like the woofers. The component set had three different mounts but there's not enough space to fit it behind the grill (the stock tweeter is very thin, probably why it sounds bad!). Gorilla Glue and a clamp and we're done! All you audiophiles are probably cringing right now
Here's a few more photos for kicks:
Crossover location inside the door above the support bar (not deflecting any sound waves and not blocking the window operation):
New speaker on the old mount I did use the supplied mount provided in the kit for a more secure fit:
Finished product. Not pretty on the outside but it sounds awesome and nobody sees it anyway!
Also put foam on the inside of the door panel, took away a lot of rattles. I used twice as much foam as I did sound deadening:
More photos, updated 9/8
Routed the power wire for the amp through the firewall plug (poked a hole with a screwdriver)
And then ran it under the trim to the back. Also ran my RCA's on the OTHER side to remove any risk of sound contamination.
Installed the volume control knob in the pocket under the head unit using Velcro. Great location and easy to remove if I ever need to. If you haven't bought a large supply of Velcro yet... it makes life so much easier.
Stripped the interior (which is a whole lot easier than it looks, took all of an hour) and added sound deadening. I ran out though so waiting on some more to come in.
Took out the plastic pocket and glued some carpet in there instead. Now my storage is 3x what it used to be! No more rattles either. Shout out to [MENTION=65101]BrianSD_42[/MENTION] for his photos that gave me the inspiration.
Bonus pic of the other side in progress.
All I have left to do is finish the floor of the cargo area and I'm DONE!
Here's my complete sound overhaul - on a modest budget. I just finished installing sound deadening on the front doors and new Infinity component speakers up front powered by a modest amp. I knew the stock speakers were pretty awful since I've swapped speakers in other cars before but this is the first time I've gone a more serious route. Here's what I've done:
Installed Alpine head unit for BT & USB - $99
Alpine CDE-143BT CD receiver at Crutchfield.com
Installed Alpine power pack, 45RMS x 4 (a bit higher since the Infinitys run at 3 ohms, not 4) - $100. Best part? NO EXTRA WIRING NEEDED!
Alpine KTP-445A Power Pack Compact upgrade amplifier for your Alpine receiver ? 45 watts RMS x 4 at Crutchfield.com
Installed 6 1/4 in. Infinity Reference X Components - $105
Reference 6500cx - Infinity US
Sound deadening on front doors as well as on the center console and transmission tunnel - $395 total spent in materials for the entire vehicle from RAAMaudio - Automotive sound deadening products Also, they have a GREAT how-to article for newbies like me, not every surface needs to be plastered with the stuff for great results. I ordered an additional amount, now up to $395. Wanted more foam and mat materials to do the entire cargo area since it's so noisy compared to the front end now.
6 1/4 in. Coax Infinity Reference X speakers on rear doors (current ones are completely blown out) - $70
Infinity Reference X REF-6502ix 6-3/4" 2-way car speakers — also fit 6-1/2" openings at Crutchfield.com
Sound deadening in the rear cargo area, it's noisy.
Powered Blaupunkt 10" subwoofer - $216
Blaupunkt Blue Magic XLb 250 A Single 10" subwoofer enclosure with 250-watt amp at Crutchfield.com
Wiring kit from Crutchfield, 10 gauge - $40 Don't get this one: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_142PA8BX/EFX-PA8BX-Wiring-Kit.html?tp=2919, the RCA's failed in a week. I'm so bummed. Get the Kicker or higher quality ones that have RCA's made with copper for more strength.
After doing the front end of the vehicle, it is a HUGE improvement in sound, at least to me. I still get a lot of road noise from the rear of the vehicle but the speakers sound awesome. I tested it along the way to hear improvements to see what was most effective:
- Adding the amp brought it to life. These Infinitys really shine with an amp, but I knew that already. Clear highs and good bass, almost feels like I have a small sub tucked away somewhere!
- The sound deadening quieted down the cabin and increased bass response but more importantly, took away all the rattles I had in the door panels.
- Just swapping the speakers did very little to improve sound, even though Infinitys are good quality. Would have been a waste of the speakers if I stopped there.
Now that I'm really going at it, an amp and sound deadening or some sort of insulating foam is a must. Those showed way more improvement than just swapping speakers.
Also, no more distortion at low frequencies that was hurting my ears
Did I mention I did not have to do any wiring for the amp? That was the best part, it's literally plug and play. Only tricky part was where to mount it, I ended up putting it right below the head unit but far enough away that heat would not be an issue. I'm all for easy routes, and besides a new head unit plus a new amp for $200 is a complete steal. Crutchfield sells open packages for cheap, and Amazon and Ebay will have steals if you watch long enough.I've put in about $900 to do the whole 4Runner, but it could be done for less if you're not so picky about sound. There are some decent Alpine or Pioneer speakers out there for much cheaper, I just love the sound of the Infinity Reference X line. Decent bass but the mids and highs just sound sooo good to me. Highly recommend going to Fry's or a car audio store to listen to speakers before you buy, they really do sound different when compared. If you guys want some photos I can take some of the next parts of the installs, such as my plan on how to fit 6 1/4 in the 5 1/4 openings on the rear doors and such. I was really cramped for time over the past week so I didn't have any time for photos of what I did up front but could take off the door panel if you really, really want me to. I've put in about 10 hours total so far with the install, it's slow going especially when I have to solder new wiring but not hard at all.
UPDATE: Just finished the deadening and wow, what a difference. The rear cargo really is the problem spot in our vehicles. There's still engine noise but there's nothing coming from the back of the 4Runner anymore. All the sounds are still there but reduced, if that makes sense. Also pretty much all high-frequency sounds are gone. I can hear my wife talk to me much, much better than before.
If you wanted to go one step further, do the front floor, that's the next spot that would need it. I'm not going to though, I'm happy with what I've got.
Anyway, hope this helps someone looking to plan their next sound upgrade on their 4Runner! Here's the photos for reference (I adjusted my crossover settings so had the door panel off this evening):
Tweeter:
That's right, I glued it, just like how the stock ones were. The ones I have are in a solid casing, there's no magnet to move like the woofers. The component set had three different mounts but there's not enough space to fit it behind the grill (the stock tweeter is very thin, probably why it sounds bad!). Gorilla Glue and a clamp and we're done! All you audiophiles are probably cringing right now
Here's a few more photos for kicks:
Crossover location inside the door above the support bar (not deflecting any sound waves and not blocking the window operation):
New speaker on the old mount I did use the supplied mount provided in the kit for a more secure fit:
Finished product. Not pretty on the outside but it sounds awesome and nobody sees it anyway!
Also put foam on the inside of the door panel, took away a lot of rattles. I used twice as much foam as I did sound deadening:
More photos, updated 9/8
Routed the power wire for the amp through the firewall plug (poked a hole with a screwdriver)
And then ran it under the trim to the back. Also ran my RCA's on the OTHER side to remove any risk of sound contamination.
Installed the volume control knob in the pocket under the head unit using Velcro. Great location and easy to remove if I ever need to. If you haven't bought a large supply of Velcro yet... it makes life so much easier.
Stripped the interior (which is a whole lot easier than it looks, took all of an hour) and added sound deadening. I ran out though so waiting on some more to come in.
Took out the plastic pocket and glued some carpet in there instead. Now my storage is 3x what it used to be! No more rattles either. Shout out to [MENTION=65101]BrianSD_42[/MENTION] for his photos that gave me the inspiration.
Bonus pic of the other side in progress.
All I have left to do is finish the floor of the cargo area and I'm DONE!
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