I decided to do some sound deadening in my doors the other day, and upon doing so realized how chintzy the stock speaker are. Made by Pioneer but they're so weightless and crappy it's no wonder the sound is pretty meh in these cars. I do not have the JBL system but I've heard it's not a whole lot better.
For sound deadening I use Peel & Seal from Lowe's. Dynamat and similar products can be $$, they may work better but this stuff is so cheap and works well. I came across it years ago on a forum and this'll be the 3rd vehicle of my own that I've used it on. It does not smell even on the hottest of days, stays stuck, and does a fantastic job at sound insulating plus adding some heft. After installing you get a nice satisfying "thunk" when closing the doors, no more tinny, hollow sound.
After some researching I came across the Powerbass OE series speakers. Similar to the Focal Inside offering but at a much lower price point. I'm no audiophile and do not need the best, just wanted to see if I could get a little more clarity and bass out of the stock HU. They are a perfect fit and have built in brackets that mount to the factory screw locations, plus they include adapters from the old->new Toyota speaker connectors.
Rear Doors
Powerbass OE652-TY - $99
I started with the rear doors, only because they got delivered first lol. Magnet size isn't everything, as neodymium can outperform at a smaller form factor, but the difference here is massive. Not only that, but the bracket construction is so much sturdier and high quality feeling. Immediate noticeable difference, tested by swapping out one side and fading left and right. At the same volume level there is much more bass felt, and thanks to the tweeter highs are a lot clearer. Don't go into this expecting it to sound like a German car with 20 some speakers, but for just under $100 it's money well spend IMO.
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See the included adapters, necessary as we have the newer style speaker connectors. I wrapped with Tess tape and secured to the door harness.
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Did a decent bit of deadening on both the door card and for skin itself.
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Front Doors
Powerbass OE65C-TY - $129
Same as with the rears, these are a perfect fit. Much bigger magnet, much higher quality build. Only difference is it's a component kit with separate 6.5" woofers for the doors and replacement tweeters for the dash. You'll need to use the included adapters for the door speakers and correct connector for the dash tweeters.
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Once again I Tesa tape wrapped the adapter harness and secured to the other door wiring.
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Sound deadening on the front doors. One oddity I found was this plastic panel instead of the usual thin plastic sheet used for moisture barrier. Was much easier to remove than dealing with the sticky butyl stuff. Sadly they only did this on the front doors, but it's the first time I've ever seen this in a vehicle and found it to be pretty cool.
![Image]()
Dash Tweeters
As seen above, the OE65C-TY kit comes with new upgraded tweeters, which install into the speaker grilles just like the original ones. I wrapped the harness for them in Tesa tape too. Only thing is they're thicker than the originals and do not engage with the clips. Some silicone or hot glue are needed to ensure they don't fall out since the clips won't grab on.
Overall the Powerbass full setup is a great and worthwhile upgrade for only $230 and definitely makes a difference! Bass is a lot fuller especially from the front doors. It's not going to rattle your brain like a set of 12s in the trunk, but bang for the buck a solid upgrade. After much fiddling I set the EQ -1 on treble, flat on mids, with bass boosted +2. The new tweeters were much harsher sounding than stock so taking treble back a notch gave my ears the best experience.
However I found that installing a set of 3.5" speakers is common in the Corolla/RAV4/Tacoma crowd and ended up researching that myself.
Dash Speakers Pt.2
Kicker 47KSC3504 - $72
Red Wolf Toyota Tweeter Adapters - $15
I settled on the Kickers after much research for a few reasons. They're a silk tweeter, which many reviews reported a less-harsh sound from. They include crossovers, and have a unique 3-wire setup so that the tweeter is blocked from bass but the midrange receives the full sound spectrum, at least that's my understanding. The mids may be covered with the crossover as well just at a different frequency? The electronics are all heat shrunk so I can't see for certain what circuitry is contained.
I cut the spades off of the Red Wolf adapters and soldered straight to the Kicker crossover. Do note the adapters are wired backwards for most modern Toyota products. Wrapped the whole harness assembly and stuffed down in the dash.
Driver side installation was pretty easy, there's already a hole that I was able to move one of the U-nuts over to which gave perfect spacing to mount. I did have to file a little bit off the edge of the plastic so the screw would have in nicely. Harbor Freight mini round file did the trick.
![Image]()
Passenger side is a little tricker. Did the same relocation of the U-nut but the way the dash is molded it sits lower. A plastic spacer and some 2-sided tape bumped it up to be even and mount the same as the driver side.
![Image]()
They BARELY clear the HVAC ducting but they fit! Now I'm just waiting on the JBL model dash speaker grilles, which have a larger opening to accommodate the larger speakers. P/N 55473-02040-C0 and 55473-02050-C0 for anyone interested in doing the same. Will post pics of the difference once they arrive. There is a noticeable difference with the current grilles removed, they do muffle a bit with only the tiny 1" opening for the original tweeters.
Having the mids up on the dash totally transformed the soundstage. Instead of midrange vocals and instrumentals coming from your feet, they're in front of you. Combined with better bass from the doors it's a much better overall sound experience. Adding an amp would be the best way to get the most of of everything, which I may do at some point, but for now I'm pleased as it is. With the Kickers in the dash I now have treble flat, the silk domes really are much softer than the titanium Powerbass tweeters. Mids are still set flat and bass at +2 gives me exactly what I'm looking for. Cranking up the bass it really bumps, almost to the level of my WRX with the Harmon Kardon system which has a rear deck sub. But doing so also does drown out songs with deeper vocals, which is where a proper sub with crossover comes into play.
I'm no car audio expert but for the price I'm very pleased with how this system came out.
For sound deadening I use Peel & Seal from Lowe's. Dynamat and similar products can be $$, they may work better but this stuff is so cheap and works well. I came across it years ago on a forum and this'll be the 3rd vehicle of my own that I've used it on. It does not smell even on the hottest of days, stays stuck, and does a fantastic job at sound insulating plus adding some heft. After installing you get a nice satisfying "thunk" when closing the doors, no more tinny, hollow sound.
After some researching I came across the Powerbass OE series speakers. Similar to the Focal Inside offering but at a much lower price point. I'm no audiophile and do not need the best, just wanted to see if I could get a little more clarity and bass out of the stock HU. They are a perfect fit and have built in brackets that mount to the factory screw locations, plus they include adapters from the old->new Toyota speaker connectors.
Rear Doors
Powerbass OE652-TY - $99
I started with the rear doors, only because they got delivered first lol. Magnet size isn't everything, as neodymium can outperform at a smaller form factor, but the difference here is massive. Not only that, but the bracket construction is so much sturdier and high quality feeling. Immediate noticeable difference, tested by swapping out one side and fading left and right. At the same volume level there is much more bass felt, and thanks to the tweeter highs are a lot clearer. Don't go into this expecting it to sound like a German car with 20 some speakers, but for just under $100 it's money well spend IMO.
See the included adapters, necessary as we have the newer style speaker connectors. I wrapped with Tess tape and secured to the door harness.
Did a decent bit of deadening on both the door card and for skin itself.
Front Doors
Powerbass OE65C-TY - $129
Amazon.com: PowerBass OE65C-TY - 6.5" Toyota OEM Component Speaker Upgrade Kit - Pair : Electronics
Amazon.com: PowerBass OE65C-TY - 6.5" Toyota OEM Component Speaker Upgrade Kit - Pair : Electronics
www.amazon.com
Once again I Tesa tape wrapped the adapter harness and secured to the other door wiring.
Sound deadening on the front doors. One oddity I found was this plastic panel instead of the usual thin plastic sheet used for moisture barrier. Was much easier to remove than dealing with the sticky butyl stuff. Sadly they only did this on the front doors, but it's the first time I've ever seen this in a vehicle and found it to be pretty cool.
Dash Tweeters
As seen above, the OE65C-TY kit comes with new upgraded tweeters, which install into the speaker grilles just like the original ones. I wrapped the harness for them in Tesa tape too. Only thing is they're thicker than the originals and do not engage with the clips. Some silicone or hot glue are needed to ensure they don't fall out since the clips won't grab on.
Overall the Powerbass full setup is a great and worthwhile upgrade for only $230 and definitely makes a difference! Bass is a lot fuller especially from the front doors. It's not going to rattle your brain like a set of 12s in the trunk, but bang for the buck a solid upgrade. After much fiddling I set the EQ -1 on treble, flat on mids, with bass boosted +2. The new tweeters were much harsher sounding than stock so taking treble back a notch gave my ears the best experience.
However I found that installing a set of 3.5" speakers is common in the Corolla/RAV4/Tacoma crowd and ended up researching that myself.
Dash Speakers Pt.2
Kicker 47KSC3504 - $72
Amazon.com: Pair Kicker 47KSC3504 KSC3504 3.5" 50 Watt 2-Way Car Stereo Speakers KSC350 : Electronics
Amazon.com: Pair Kicker 47KSC3504 KSC3504 3.5" 50 Watt 2-Way Car Stereo Speakers KSC350 : Electronics
www.amazon.com
I settled on the Kickers after much research for a few reasons. They're a silk tweeter, which many reviews reported a less-harsh sound from. They include crossovers, and have a unique 3-wire setup so that the tweeter is blocked from bass but the midrange receives the full sound spectrum, at least that's my understanding. The mids may be covered with the crossover as well just at a different frequency? The electronics are all heat shrunk so I can't see for certain what circuitry is contained.
I cut the spades off of the Red Wolf adapters and soldered straight to the Kicker crossover. Do note the adapters are wired backwards for most modern Toyota products. Wrapped the whole harness assembly and stuffed down in the dash.
Driver side installation was pretty easy, there's already a hole that I was able to move one of the U-nuts over to which gave perfect spacing to mount. I did have to file a little bit off the edge of the plastic so the screw would have in nicely. Harbor Freight mini round file did the trick.
Passenger side is a little tricker. Did the same relocation of the U-nut but the way the dash is molded it sits lower. A plastic spacer and some 2-sided tape bumped it up to be even and mount the same as the driver side.
They BARELY clear the HVAC ducting but they fit! Now I'm just waiting on the JBL model dash speaker grilles, which have a larger opening to accommodate the larger speakers. P/N 55473-02040-C0 and 55473-02050-C0 for anyone interested in doing the same. Will post pics of the difference once they arrive. There is a noticeable difference with the current grilles removed, they do muffle a bit with only the tiny 1" opening for the original tweeters.
Having the mids up on the dash totally transformed the soundstage. Instead of midrange vocals and instrumentals coming from your feet, they're in front of you. Combined with better bass from the doors it's a much better overall sound experience. Adding an amp would be the best way to get the most of of everything, which I may do at some point, but for now I'm pleased as it is. With the Kickers in the dash I now have treble flat, the silk domes really are much softer than the titanium Powerbass tweeters. Mids are still set flat and bass at +2 gives me exactly what I'm looking for. Cranking up the bass it really bumps, almost to the level of my WRX with the Harmon Kardon system which has a rear deck sub. But doing so also does drown out songs with deeper vocals, which is where a proper sub with crossover comes into play.
I'm no car audio expert but for the price I'm very pleased with how this system came out.
