Thinking About Upgrading Your Sound System? Do It!

[MTD]

Let me know what you think of bluetooth performance. I have the same unit, and if my phone is in my pocket, the BT audio will cut out. If I put the phone in the cupholder, it's fine. The local pioneer service center said there's nothing they can do, it's working correctly.

Yep I noticed that too... my Sony I could be in the house and it would connect, the pioneer if I leave the car or have it in my pocket farthest from the unit it will cut out... my guess is that the wide band Bluetooth doesn't have nearly as much range, but I did notice the sound quality is much much better so I don't really care I guess haha.

 

[jeremyc74]

Ok you got me, I've had this HU and mini amp in my shopping cart for days. Im ordering.
But First...

I do have a 10' Alpine sub and 500 watt amp sittin in the garage. Can someone make a recommendation on a amp wiring kit?

I do have an inline fuse I can install so no worries on that.

Amazon.com: Monster BAIP-650 Standard 650 Watt Car Amp Kit: Electronics

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002VM8RU...lid=2DS4AB428LVTH&coliid=I2VH0QAH6P2TYT&psc=1

I'm reading the reviews on the second one and it looks like they're advertising wire size that's larger than it actually is. I'd be cautious with it.

You'll want at least a true 8 gauge wire for power and ground for a 500W amp. If it's a good amp that's capable of 500W RMS I'd probably want to bump up a little larger. 8 will handle it safely, but you're going to be getting some voltage drop on peaks. Every tenth of a volt helps when you're only working with 13.4 to begin with! :guitar3:

 

[ridefast]

Thanks for the input guys, I ordered the boss kit. I Ill change it to this kit

http://www.amazon.com/KnuKonceptz-K...41233456&sr=8-1&keywords=EFX+PA8BX+Wiring+Kit

... now I am debating this kit as well.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003GFYPYS...TF8&colid=2DS4AB428LVTH&coliid=I223P34L9N07Y1
I am mounting the sub in the cargo area and the amp under the drivers seat. 18 feet of RCA is a lot of effing RCA

AHHHHH.... tell me which one to get. I have 3 hours to order to get it by friday

 

[fblainen11]

The Knuconceptz brand looks like it has less insulation. Insulation can help guard against cuts and interference.... Just something to think about.
I honestly don't think you will see much of a difference between any of the ones mentioned. IF it were me I'd go with the cheapest out of those options. It is preference and I doubt any of them will make a noticeable difference.

 

[jeremyc74]

The Knuconceptz brand looks like it has less insulation. Insulation can help guard against cuts and interference.... Just something to think about.
I honestly don't think you will see much of a difference between any of the ones mentioned. IF it were me I'd go with the cheapest out of those options. It is preference and I doubt any of them will make a noticeable difference.

Cuts, yes. Interference, no. It's just rubber it won't do anything to suppress EMI but that's not really an issue on the power and ground anyway.

I actually like a thinner insulation because it's easier to route and doesn't show up as much under the carpet. You do have to be careful to deal with any abrasion points though.

Like you said though, very little difference as long as they're advertising the actual AWG conductor size.

 

[fblainen11]

Cuts, yes. Interference, no. It's just rubber it won't do anything to suppress EMI but that's not really an issue on the power and ground anyway.

I actually like a thinner insulation because it's easier to route and doesn't show up as much under the carpet. You do have to be careful to deal with any abrasion points though.

Like you said though, very little difference as long as they're advertising the actual AWG conductor size.

EMI: Electromagnetic Interference?

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

The Knuconceptz brand looks like it has less insulation. Insulation can help guard against cuts and interference.... Just something to think about.
I honestly don't think you will see much of a difference between any of the ones mentioned. IF it were me I'd go with the cheapest out of those options. It is preference and I doubt any of them will make a noticeable difference.

The rubber insulation will do nothing against interference. Also, don't rely on a thick rubber insulation to prevent cuts. Anything that will cut thin coatings, will eventually cut the thicker coating too. Use a plastic loom, or paired with a grommet, when running near anything that could cut into insulation.
True, there probably isn't much actual difference in the wire you use. However, these days, copper is getting expensive. Cheaper companies are skimping on the actual gauge you get when they say you are buying X gauge. It sucks when you pay for X gauge and you receive X/2 (rather, X*2 ). Also, lately, companies will advertise copper wire, and then sell you copper clad aluminum. It's tough to know what you are actually buying.

 

[jeremyc74]

EMI: Electromagnetic Interference?

Yeah. That's a way noise gets introduced into audio systems in some cases. It's a concern in the signal wires, but the power and ground are high current and heavily filtered inside the amp, so not something you need to worry about.

 

[jeremyc74]

True, there probably isn't much actual difference in the wire you use. However, these days, copper is getting expensive. Cheaper companies are skimping on the actual gauge you get when they say you are buying X gauge. It sucks when you pay for X gauge and you receive X/2 (rather, X*2 ). Also, lately, companies will advertise copper wire, and then sell you copper clad aluminum. It's tough to know what you are actually buying.

This is very true. It's worth mentioning that aluminum is fine, you just need a little more diameter in the wire for it to be equivalent to copper. If it's not copper clad you need to use special connectors to prevent degradation of the connection due to galvanic (I think that's the right term) corrosion.

There were a bunch of manufactured homes that burnt to the ground years ago due to aluminum wiring and fixtures designed for copper. The wires corroded away at the connections and then started arcing, which set the insulation on fire.

 

[Unner]

[MENTION=115347]gamefreakgc[/MENTION]

I'm looking at a set of JL Audio components but they have a 1/2" tweeter instead of the 1" ones like yours have. Do you think there would be any issues mounting smaller tweeters there instead of the larger 1" ones?

 

[gamefreakgc]

[MENTION=115347]gamefreakgc[/MENTION]

I'm looking at a set of JL Audio components but they have a 1/2" tweeter instead of the 1" ones like yours have. Do you think there would be any issues mounting smaller tweeters there instead of the larger 1" ones?

No it should be fine, mine were slightly larger and deeper than the stock ones and they almost didn't fit. I couldn't use the supplied mounts, I had to just glue it on the bracket instead. If anything, 1/2" tweeters will be easier to mount.

 

[gamefreakgc]

The Knuconceptz brand looks like it has less insulation. Insulation can help guard against cuts and interference.... Just something to think about.
I honestly don't think you will see much of a difference between any of the ones mentioned. IF it were me I'd go with the cheapest out of those options. It is preference and I doubt any of them will make a noticeable difference.

I just routed my RCA's for the subwoofer tonight. I ran it under the passenger's side carpet and then joined it up with the wiring running to the cargo area which is under the edge of the carpet (have to remove some paneling but not much). Thankfully, there's no sharp edges or potential cuts if you route it that way. Plus none of those wires the RCA's are carrying any serious voltage, most are just interior lighting and stuff like that. Was super easy and you can string it into all the existing clips, no need for taping or anything!

Power wire will run on the driver's side when I get more time.

 

[UnderFire]

I'll tell you what I have used in the past... KnuKonceptz. I have used their speaker wire and power wire. The prices were decent and the quality is good.

Their power and speaker wire is great, definitely on par or better than any of the more well known brands. But I will say, their RCA's suck from my experience. I had one of their cheaper sets give me nothing but issues with noise and a more expensive set that 2 of the ends just snapped right off while I was installing them.

The best lower budget RCA's I've had are the Memphis Audio ETP twisted series, good ends and build quality, and a nice jacket. But I personally use Monster Interlink 300 series RCA's with compression style ends and grounds.

 

[0xfded]

Well, after tidying up and doing some cable management, found plenty of space to mount this amp:



I figured the air duct behind it wouldn't mind two small screw holes. Put a layer of CCF behind it to stave off any vibration. Need to run power tomorrow, and run some tidier RCA's to the subwoofer under the driver's seat.

Had a look over some of the speaker wiring too, decided to leave it alone. Nothing appears to be terribly worn or in bad shape, and I thought it was interesting that the wiring harness on this amp isn't running any larger gauge for the speakers either. Maybe they're just being cheap, but it hasn't shown up in any of their reviews. So I think I'll just change one thing at a time.

 

[Unner]

Got my CCf delivered today. I ordered from The Foam Factory. I ordered their gym mat foam which is CCF and I read about people using it for automotive sound deadening, it even lists it as a use on their website. I got 64 square feet of 1/4" and 64 square feet of 1/8" for less than $100. Very good prices. Should be enough to do the 4Runner and my MK3 Supra thoroughly. I still need to pick up my peel and seal and order my speakers and amp as well.

 

[0xfded]

Got everything put back together, and I'm surprised how happy I am with that little amp. Not sure how to put it, but everything sounds better defined, even at the same volume level.

Someone want to educate me on why increasing the wattage improves definition, without simply increasing the volume? Is a 40 watt RMS per channel HU really incapable of driving 4 ohm speakers at reasonable volume without distortion?

 

[fblainen11]

I don't know the exact details, but basically distortion comes when you don't have ENOUGH power for your speakers.

So, now that you have proper power to the speakers you are able to deliver clear sound and higher volume.

 

[Unner]

Ok, had some time last week to do the rear doors as well as some of the interior panels, I took a few photos that I hope will help some people. I will also show how I mounted 6 1/4 in speakers in the rear doors. It was a pain, but doable.

First, how I mounted the speakers in the rear doors. I took the existing plastic mount, trimmed it flat and traced it on 0.22" MDF board that I picked up at Home Depot. This thickness was perfect, not too thick but still rigid.

Then I cut out the opening by tracing the mounting bracket supplied by Infinity. I have to say, that bracket was super helpful since it had hole alignments that fit perfectly for a Toyota. I did have to trim off some very long screw mount holes, but nothing terrible. I ended up putting screws straight through the bracket, MDF and into the door panel in the stock holes, except for one. If this is not an option for you, you'll have to cut out a second "ring" for a mounting bracket and then either glue it to the MDF board or sink the mounting screws so they don't stick up, and then put in more screws to hold the speaker to the ring.

Wiring was simple, no crossover to deal with.

The harder part was trimming the door panel. This does cut into the inside of the pocket, but there's extra space in there so you don't notice it. Even with taking 2" off the side there's no chance of anything falling inside the door. If you take off the panel you'll see what I mean.

So when you trimmed the rear door panel the part you had to cut off, was that just extra plastic that had no purpose from the mold or did you actually have to cut into the pocket and can stick your fingers through it and touch the speaker etc?

I was looking to just put some 5.25"s in the back but there isn't anything that's jumping out at me, so I was thinking I may just go with a set of 6.5" speakers instead since they cost about the same.

 

[UnderFire]

As a note to anyone thinking about upgrading the sound system, if you're putting subs in the cargo bay, don't bother with doing speakers in the rear doors, just remove/unplug them.

With the bass coming from the cargo bay, the rear speakers will actually hurt the soundstage, not help, they'll pull the sound down. You want the sound at ear level with the front stage (AKA Tweeters) aimed just in front of your head, since that is your focal point, it is where your ears are focused as well, the bass coming from behind will fill in the rest, and make it so you can't distinguish where each individual sound is coming from.

I've never run rear speakers in any of my set-ups and haven't regretted it.

If you're running an under the seat sub or no subs at all, you will want rear speakers though.

 

[ridefast]

welp install is all done! going from a oem tape player to:
Alpine cde 143 bt (new)
Alpine ktp-145A (new)
alpine mrp 5oo watt amp (pulled from my tacoma before I sold)
alpine 10'' sub (pulled from tacoma before I sold)

This upgrade made a HUGE difference, and best of all no more commercials. The power pack fit nice and snug back there. I made a mistake and forgot to hook up the mic for the bluetooth and had to reinstall everything :rant::frusty: , so had to take the bezel off once more.

For now only because all I had was a 3 ft section of car audio speaker wire the sub is behind the passenger seat. I do have plenty of home audio speaker wire but wasnt sure it would be sufficient for car audio. Ill head to best buy sometime this weekend to get some.

Over all I am happy and wow the power pack brought the stock speakers to life! Ill change out the fronts this winter.