Installing Pioneer DVD Head Unit

[jp18732]

Hey all,
I have heard great things about the forums of Toyota Nation, so I decided to create an account of my own and ask the experts for some help.

I just got a '09 Matrix Sport this summer and am very happy with it. It came with the JBL sound system (6-CD changer, built-in subwoofer in the back, etc), and I am sorry to say: I am quite disappointed in its sound quality/performance (maybe I am just spoiled from my last car's sound system).

I have been told in the past that aftermarket head units increase sound quality, due to more setting options (not just bass, mid, and treble), and because they have more powerful built-in amps. I am not sure if this is true. But if it is, I am looking to buy a Pioneer AVH-P3100DVD head unit.

These are my questions:
1. Can this head unit power all of the speakers, including the sub, more efficiently than the original head unit? (I know this is a rookie question)
2. Will this head unit improve the sound quality of the system?
3. Will the steering wheel controls be compatible with it? (or will I have to buy the specific adapter that is compatible with the head unit?).
4. Same question as #3, but regarding the Bluetooth phone system.

I greatly appreciate any responses, suggestions, ideas, as well as your patience. Thanks guys.

[jdhog]

1. Can this head unit power all of the speakers, including the sub, more efficiently than the original head unit? (I know this is a rookie question)


I really think so, why wouldn't it, I imagine just plug and play connectors from the jbl


2. Will this head unit improve the sound quality of the system?
Pretty damn sure it will, I put in mine an Alpine and it blew away my stock (non jbl) 6 disc changer

3. Will the steering wheel controls be compatible with it? (or will I have to buy the specific adapter that is compatible with the head unit?).

IDK but the reviews on crutchfield said that it was compatible so maybe just plug and play or is there a pioneer cable you might need to connect it?

4. Same question as #3, but regarding the Bluetooth phone system.
Same answer as #3

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_130AVHP...ures_and_specs
Acutally look on the specs, it shows bluetooth is 'optional' and needs an adaptor.


I greatly appreciate any responses, suggestions, ideas, as well as your patience. Thanks guys.

One suggestion would be take the stock HU out and have a look at what's there, and also take a look on the Corolla forum as there are quite a few threads on Double Din HU installs.

BTW that HU looks pretty good bang for the buck, nice find and .

[jp18732]

Thank you very much jdhog! I appreciate your insight! I will def, check out those forums, as well as Crutchfield.

[pancit175]

Okay, here are the facts. Since you have the factory supplied JBL system you really have 2 or 3 choices.
1. Keep the factory JBL amplifier and integrate it with the new headuint. You may not get much improvement on sound quality, due to the fact that the sound quality is limited to the capability of the factory JBL amp. Essentially it would be still powered the same as before, but the signal given to it will be slightly different You would still have better control over the sound through the aftermarket's EQ and controls, but you would not see any increase in wattage like you would replacing a non premium sound system. Also you would retain the factory sub's function without any extra wiring or equiptment. You could do this with an appropriate harness specifically made to interface with the factory JBL system. This method typically takes the signal from the aftermarket headunit's rca preouts (or signal level lines). This may in fact be the more reliable option, if you don't plan on any more improvements to the system, since most of this can be done from behind the radio.
2. Bypass and eliminate the factory amplifier altogether, you would have a better chance to increase sound quality. The speaker level lines would feed directly to each of the speakers. But the sub would typically require an additional amplifier to power it since the sub requires more power than the regular speakers are given. This would be a highly recommended option if you were to go with a new set of speakers and/or a 4ch amplifier to power those speakers or if the amplifier were inoperable. The down side of this is the fact that the factory sub's specifications may not be well documented in order to find the appropriate amplifier to match those specs. And there would be more complicated wiring to deal with.
3. Would be a combination of the first 2 options, where the RCAs are fed into the factory amp, just for the sake of powering up the factory sub, while the outputs of the JBL amp toward the door speakers are severed and replaced by the speaker level lines from the new headunit.

Furthermore,
The steering control module you would need can either be provided by pac-audio model# swi-ps or peripheral electronics model# peswips, they are pretty much the same unit and would work with most pioneer headunits with a wired remote input. You may be able to find this for around $50-100.

The factory blutooth cannot be retained and like mentioned earlier would require an additional module that is compatible with the pioneer that uses its own microphone. It typically retails around $150-200 Also if your car was equip with the bluetooth controls on the steering wheel, those would not function the same way without the factory equiptment, I am unsure if those controls can be used in conjunction to the steering control module.

[FSStrix09]

Originally Posted by jp18732

Hey all,
I have heard great things about the forums of Toyota Nation, so I decided to create an account of my own and ask the experts for some help.

I just got a '09 Matrix Sport this summer and am very happy with it. It came with the JBL sound system (6-CD changer, built-in subwoofer in the back, etc), and I am sorry to say: I am quite disappointed in its sound quality/performance (maybe I am just spoiled from my last car's sound system).

I have been told in the past that aftermarket head units increase sound quality, due to more setting options (not just bass, mid, and treble), and because they have more powerful built-in amps. I am not sure if this is true. But if it is, I am looking to buy a Pioneer AVH-P3100DVD head unit.

These are my questions:
1. Can this head unit power all of the speakers, including the sub, more efficiently than the original head unit? (I know this is a rookie question)
2. Will this head unit improve the sound quality of the system?
3. Will the steering wheel controls be compatible with it? (or will I have to buy the specific adapter that is compatible with the head unit?).
4. Same question as #3, but regarding the Bluetooth phone system.

I greatly appreciate any responses, suggestions, ideas, as well as your patience. Thanks guys.

hey, i have an 09 with JBL system also and have been researching into the system. ill help out with your questions to the best of my knowledge.
3 and 4: there isnt an adaptor that will integrate everything as of right now.

my advice to you as i have the exact system as you, set you bass at 0, mids at 0 and treble at 0. turn SLA on and set the speaker balance 50/50 on both axes. keep the curve flat always and you'll be able to crank up the volume much louder. if you are listening to bass heavy music, pull back the bass to -2.

good luck.

[jp18732]

Thanks Pancit and FSS, I appreciate your help! I think I will stick with this HU for now, only because I am not quite ready to give up the bluetooth/steering wheel controls, all-together.. I do have a new idea though, maybe you guys can help me out:

If I bough an aftermarket amp (something small like 300W or so) could I use it to power only the subwoofer? Would I still be able to control bass level through the factory HU?

I figure if I can at least give the sub its own amp, I will have a little more freedom to tweak it, and possibly make it "kick". Please let me know if this is something that the JBL sub was NOT built for. If it can handle it, please let me know. Thanks fellas!

[Stoffles]

I'm also looking to make upgrades... have any of you previous posters to this thread done any soundproofing? There is excessive road noise in the Matrix, and its driving me crazy. If you have, what did you use, where, etc...

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by Stoffles

I'm also looking to make upgrades... have any of you previous posters to this thread done any soundproofing? There is excessive road noise in the Matrix, and its driving me crazy. If you have, what did you use, where, etc...

one word: DYNAMAT

i had this in my old vw passat (not for road noise, but for my sound system, which was a monster!)

install it right and you will have VERY little road noise and whatever sound system you have in your car will sound 10X better!

[pancit175]

^correct. Done correctly, and in the right quantities you can reduce the amount of road noise. Personally I had the undercoating done by the dealership. And when I did my speaker install, I automatically put dynamat in the doors for better sound pressure & quality and rattle prevention. I get some road noise still, but I'm used to it on my old car. The right way to do it is to completely line the interior of the car, under all of the carpets and panels.

[FSStrix09]

Originally Posted by Stoffles

I'm also looking to make upgrades... have any of you previous posters to this thread done any soundproofing? There is excessive road noise in the Matrix, and its driving me crazy. If you have, what did you use, where, etc...

im about to do some soundproofing myself. but i am using edead45. i bought 80 sq. ft. and plan on using it all.