New 06 Corolla LE, audio suggestions?

[under200]

Hello all, newbie here. This is my first Toyota, always have been a GM guy. So far I am really impressed. However I am ready to jam a pen in my ears when I attempt to listen to the 6 speaker/disc player. Wow it sucks. Can anyone offer the most cost effective way to improve the sound quality?
For some background, in my previous car I had a Pioneer hu and Infinity speakers all which I installed. It sounded near perfect. I am not a big bass guy. Just want to listen to my metal and rock and have nice clear sound with tight bass. Not interested in people outside of my car hearing, as long as I can crank it up and it sounds good I am happy.
Is the oem hu the culprit of the muddy non-detailed sound? Is it low quality speakers? Low powered hu? Or all the above. Would just replacing the speakers do it or is the oem hu too weak to power them good enough for good sound? Maybe it need a amp, I really like the clean look and layout of the oem unit and the 6 disc capability. Any suggestions?? Thanks in advance for any help.

Under200

[Curry]

Best bet is to probably change the HU first, thats what most people do. Once that's done, see how it sounds and go from there.

[Mr Marv]

Originally Posted by under200

Hello all, newbie here. This is my first Toyota, always have been a GM guy. So far I am really impressed. However I am ready to jam a pen in my ears when I attempt to listen to the 6 speaker/disc player. Wow it sucks. Can anyone offer the most cost effective way to improve the sound quality?
For some background, in my previous car I had a Pioneer hu and Infinity speakers all which I installed. It sounded near perfect. I am not a big bass guy. Just want to listen to my metal and rock and have nice clear sound with tight bass. Not interested in people outside of my car hearing, as long as I can crank it up and it sounds good I am happy.
Is the oem hu the culprit of the muddy non-detailed sound? Is it low quality speakers? Low powered hu? Or all the above. Would just replacing the speakers do it or is the oem hu too weak to power them good enough for good sound? Maybe it need a amp, I really like the clean look and layout of the oem unit and the 6 disc capability. Any suggestions?? Thanks in advance for any help.

Under200

We have had Toyotas in the family since I started working for them in 1984 and every single one of them had terrible speakers! On the newer ones the factory headunit actually has a built in equaliztion curve to compesate for the deficiencies of the speakers so sometimes when you change the speakers alone the new ones actually sound worse (same if you change the headunit and not the speakers). I will be doing video in my wifes Camry however if I wasn't I would use the factory headunit along with one of the new interfaces from JL Audio or Rockford (other companies make them as well). These units actually have software that "flattens out" the factory equaliztion curve so the new speakers perform better. Some also have crossovers, equalizers and aux inputs (for your mp3 players/video) etc that can make them a "better" choice than an aftermarket headunit IMO (the car would still look "stock"). Biggest drag is they are kinda pricey and the Rockford requires a PDA to operate.

[under200]

Just got back from my local car audio shop and asked him what the best route to take would be while trying to keep it inexpensive and simple as possible. Before making any suggestions he wanted to hear what it has stock and play with the settings. His suggestion was that it has no bass and poor highs also. Being that I want to keep the stock head unit since I like the changer and look. He said the best route to go would be to add a small powered sub and swap out the stock tweeters for better ones. He recommended a Infinity basslink. He actually said the speakers that come stock are not all that bad for producing midrange. So by just letting them do midrange and taking care of the highs and lows with aftermarket stuff he said it would be far better and cheaper than buying a 4 channel amp and them all new speakers. All makes sence but what do I know Does it sound like a good plan??

Under200