JBL system vs stock vs IS300 - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

cocoLatte · 08-03-2011, 01:29 PM

Hey everyone, as many of you know, I am looking for a GEN 6 camry.

As I was driving today, i thought of something. I know the base stereo on the camry is 160 watts while the JBL is 440. I used to have a 2002 IS300 with the stock system at 240 watts.

The IS300 sound system sounded great and my question is this:

the JBL system in the camry should sound better than the IS300 since it puts out a higher watt (440 vs 240)...but does the speaker size matter for sound/fullness quality?

thanks!

Lamski · 08-03-2011, 01:57 PM

Depends on how it is implemented to the system. My Gen 5 JBL system sucked compared to just about any decent aftermarket head unit. I had the Pioneer AVIC D3 in there for a while and I bypassed the JBL amplifier and it was 100X better sounding then the more powerful and higher wattage JBL system with the JBL amp. If you are looking for the best audio options, maybe the GEN 6 ebay navigation unit with a nice 4 ch amp is the way to go.

Bills07CamLE · 08-03-2011, 02:49 PM

I had a Ottonavi unit in mine and upgraded the speakers (no amp) and it sounded good enough but when I had problems the POS ottonavi unit switched back to the stock and it sound A LOT better than the ottonavi one. I didnt get any fancy speakers either! Just some 6X9 Rockford Fosgates for the front and rears that cost like 45 bucks for each pair.

Lamski · 08-04-2011, 02:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bills07CamLE

I had a Ottonavi unit in mine and upgraded the speakers (no amp) and it sounded good enough but when I had problems the POS ottonavi unit switched back to the stock and it sound A LOT better than the ottonavi one. I didnt get any fancy speakers either! Just some 6X9 Rockford Fosgates for the front and rears that cost like 45 bucks for each pair.

Did you have the JBL system as stock? I was playing with my stock (non-JBL) today in my 2011 SE and it's pretty poor at medium to loud volume but decent at low levels. I cant imagine the Ottonavi unit being worse then the stock unit. Seems strange to me as many have said the ebay one was a considerable upgrade in sound quality from stock.

aznlunatic206 · 08-04-2011, 03:19 AM

I have the JBL System in my 2011 camry se and it sounds pretty dam good to my standards, but thats different to everyone. If the sound quality isnt as good as you would of hoped, you can always get an aftermarket headunit and buy a adapter to make the new headunit work with the stock oem amp using rca cables. For the most part the JBL system is pretty good.

Bills07CamLE · 08-04-2011, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lamski

Did you have the JBL system as stock? I was playing with my stock (non-JBL) today in my 2011 SE and it's pretty poor at medium to loud volume but decent at low levels. I cant imagine the Ottonavi unit being worse then the stock unit. Seems strange to me as many have said the ebay one was a considerable upgrade in sound quality from stock.

No I had the stock without JBL Im sure the JBL sounds a lot better than just stock. Try upgrading your speakers 1st b4 getting a whole new head unit. Im MUCH happier with the sound quality from the stock than the Ottonavi unit, thats why I returned it aside from a bunch of other problems I was having from it.

cocoLatte · 08-04-2011, 11:53 AM

are the speakers on the JBL system paper?

workerant · 08-04-2011, 12:18 PM

imho, the best is to have speakers set that covers the full range of frequency. Bass, mid, and high. Mostly the Watt is in the Bass (subwoofer) and a little in the Mid. But I don't think tweeter that covers the high ever discuss in watt, but you would want that too if you want the full range.

I did enjoy my OEM JBL system but everyone say my current Mark Levinson is better. Anyway, I enjoy that too.

cocoLatte · 08-04-2011, 12:42 PM

i was debating for the longest time the GS350 and the GEN 6 camry v6 se. it seems like you have both. which do you enjoy more for daily driving? i couldnt grasp the fact that the used GS350 is $10k-$12k more than a used camry...the car is nice, but not $12k more nice imo.

touringcamry · 08-05-2011, 12:42 AM

More watts doesn't necessarily mean the stereo sounds better, it only means it can get louder and not distort.

Ideally the stereo will have several size speakers because bigger speakers are better at low frequencies and smaller speakers are better for high frequencies. Further, it's best if the signal is separated such each band of frequencies is not sent to more than one speaker. The standard stereo in Camry typically has six speakers, four in the front, two in the back. The front has a high frequency driver with a filter capacitor that blocks low frequencies from destroying it. The entire signal is also passed to the mid which is not ideal. I think the rear just has a full-range mid.

The JBL setup separates the frequencies to each driver.

Speaker positioning and aiming can also change the way the stereo sounds a lot. High frequency drivers may be very directional. It can make the stereo sound overly bright or harsh or dull depending on how it's set up.

I did not listen to the JBL set up, but I did find the standard stereo lackluster.

Depending on your preferences, your choice will vary. Personally, I think the Camry would be better for daily driver than GS350. Fuel consumption should be lower due to FWD, probably lighter due to less luxury stuff like leather and gadgets, and $10k saved is always great. DD may get banged up or abused on the street or parking lot.