Replacing speakers and adding sub.
Using alpine pxe-h660 between stock headunit and amps.
So far I have the pxe-h660 and pair of parts exspress RS28f tweeters.
Will likely use
Dayton-audio-rs180-4-7-reference-woofers for front doors
Dayton Audio LS10-44 10 for sub
May leave stock speakers in passenger doors. (I never ride back there)
undecided about amps.
Trying to get the best SQ bang for the buck.
I hope everything plays well with phone as I have heard of people having echo problems when using a DSP between headunit and amps.
There is a very exstensive (2014 Highlander) project on diy mobile.

 

Although you would have some improvement by replacing the fronts, I would recommend replacing the rears as well to have a more uniform sound unless you always adjust your sound to play from front only.

The main source of the bad sound is the head unit and the way the sound is split off from it.

 

yep
start with the head unit
the equalizer in oem radio is trying to "protect" the speakers ,thus toyota does not have to replace them under warranty!

 

Wow.. That is pretty intense. I was just hoping to replace the front and back speakers for a little more kick.

thanks

 

Wow.. That is pretty intense. I was just hoping to replace the front and back speakers for a little more kick.

Over the years I have replaced multiple head units and speakers in many vehicles. In my experience, I got minimal sound improvement by swapping out the head unit--most OEM head units I have encountered are not too bad. Adding a small amp makes them a bit better.

OTOH, even the most inexpensive after-market speakers always sound much better to my ears than any OEM speakers. Especially if you replace the OEMs with two-way or three-way speakers.

On a Honda Ridgeline we had, just replacing the tweeters in the dash with some $40 after-market tweeters made a HUGE improvement in sound quality.

My recommendation would be to buy some mid-grade after-market speakers from eBay or Crutchfields for around $60 per pair and see what difference if makes. You can always buy more expensive stuff later if the sound quality still needs improvement. Of course, instead of taking baby steps, you can take a giant step and spend a couple thousand on a whole new system.

:grin:

 

Beware its addicting :lol:

I started with simply replacing front door speakers on mine, now I have a custom 3 way setup (8", 4", 1") in my front with a total of 13 speakers in the car and 1100 watts....the sound quality itch just never goes away :lol:

 

If all you want is a little kick, and you don't have the woofer in the hatch, maybe replacing the speakers would help. Next add an amp to those speakers, see then if you need to change the head unit.

In my experience if you want improvement that is specific and makes an improvement across the highs, mids and lows frequency range in a uniform way, the HU has to go.
On newer cars, particularly a "premium sound", sound processing is used, and thats built into the HU. If you have a basic system HU, speakers alone, or speakers and amp maybe enough.

The head unit has to be changed as the power that is output from newer head units with specific channel processing makes it harder to improve sound. They are designed with the speakers used. Changing out only the speakers will help, but the range of sound that is fed is still clipped by the head units ability to output full range direct signal.

 

I have a Limited and I'm very disappointed in the sound of the stereo. If you don't want to replace speakers, my advice is to first take it off "surround sound" in the Audio setting, then under each listening mode you'll have to change your settings (and they all or some might revert back to factory settings at any given time). It's a personal preference, but I have my bass cranked one bar short of all the way up, then have the treble one over from the middle. I have the fade one or two bars in the rear from the mid point. For my ears, this is the best sound I can get. The sub woofer is a joke in this car.

I've found that the best sound quality comes from my iPod (downloaded music on my iPhone) or probably a CD which I've never tried out. Music through Entunes sounds horrible, I don't even use it. It sounds much better through individual Aps on your phone on the Bluetooth mode. The only downside is you can't use your steering wheel to change modes because you're not going through Entunes. And the plus is, my settings rarely revert back to factory settings not going through Entunes.

HTH!

 

I have a Limited and I'm very disappointed in the sound of the stereo. If you don't want to replace speakers, my advice is to first take it off "surround sound" in the Audio setting, then under each listening mode you'll have to change your settings (and they all or some might revert back to factory settings at any given time). It's a personal preference, but I have my bass cranked one bar short of all the way up, then have the treble one over from the middle. I have the fade one or two bars in the rear from the mid point. For my ears, this is the best sound I can get. The sub woofer is a joke in this car.

This was a great tip about turning off Surround Sound in the settings menu. I tried it last night and listened to the same songs a couple of times, switching the surround sound off and back on and then off again. Makes a big improvement. Thanks! I also read in another post to turn off the auto sound levelling - I'll have to try that next.

 

I put in some components in the front, some 2way coaxials in the back, added a small 4 channel amp, and a small powered sub underneath a rear passenger seat. I'm pleased with the set up, for now. Down the road I'll probably add some sort of signal processor. I don't intend to replace the HU and want to keep the installation of items as discreet as possible.

 

Riseboi, can you provide some details and photos of your rig?

 

Just tried your suggestion on removing the surround sound and other settings on my 14' Limited, and it actually really helped. Like you I am/was also very disappointed with the speaker/stereo system and ended up contacting my SOCAL dealer and complained about them, he stated that he was "surprised" I wasn't happy with them and labeled me an "audiophile", somewhat offended because while I do LOVE music and particularly music that arrives to my ears in a sweet sounding way, I can't possibly see how anybody purchasing a Limited at this price point could be happy with this system. With that said I let the dealership and Toyota have it in their New Customer Survey.

 

To get more punch by just replacing the speakers you'll want to replace them with higher efficient speakers. JBL is known for making high efficient speakers.

 

Thank you to whomever came up with turning off the surround sound. It sounds much better. I will be curious to see if this keeps me happy for a while. I like my music rather loud and now it sounds loud and decent.

Teresa

 

Totally agree! Turning off the Surround Sound removed that echo-ey, sort-of reverb sound that I could hear--almost a hiss. Anyway, I'm a bit happier with the JBL system now as everything seems a bit crisper.

Boy, the user interface sure is clunky and not very user-friendly.

 

I've always liked JL, particularly their subs.

I wonder IF you were able to temporarily feed it a different source. A decent stereo. I'm really curious of how much processing the head unit has.
It would surely help everyone looking to upgrade to have some reference point of HU output.

Anyone else that does an install, you or an installer are doing the work, take some pictures please.

 

Kenwood subwoofer could be fed from a fuse in the dashboard.
In general I suggest running a wire with the positive from the battery. If you want to add more equipment you will have to do that.
Also the Kenwood has input for signal from speaker,just tap one speaker in front where you have access.
Of course ,it will not have the full band of bass,but this what you get with the easy install ! lol

 

Kenwood subwoofer could be fed from a fuse in the dashboard.
In general I suggest running a wire with the positive from the battery. If you want to add more equipment you will have to do that.

Yeah ~10A is a lot of load to add to OEM wiring, I'd def run the wire.

 

Could those of you that have replaced speakers in the XLE comment on the improvement?

I am looking at an XLE and find the sound system lacking. Specifically there seem to be missing frequencies in the music and I had to change eq setting when different types of music came on to make it not sound bad.

I was using bluetooth audio from my iPhone and I also listened to FM stereo.

I am up for changing the speakers, but concerned that will not resolve the issue.

I am not looking for audiophile sound, I have never had to upgrade the sound system in my last toyota or honda vehicles.

Thank you.

 

jbz,
Congrats on your Highlander and welcome to the forum!

Go ahead and start a thread and share your experience on purchase and your thoughts of the highlander thus far!

I agree with you on the sound issue, as I think it is such a sad situation. Mostly how bad of a place JBL has gotten itself into. Other than their $20k+ Synthesis line, most of the new standard consumer stuff they dish out is garbage. There used to be a day that JBL made the best 6x9, and best subs for cars. Harman should rebuild the brand in this segment big time!

You're right that the speakers can do only so much. But if you got the standard sound in the XLE, it would be easier than the JBL premium.

 

I have a 2014 LE with the basic system, and i don't think the basic systems have "Surround Sound", but i do have the "Auto Sound Leveling" feature. As far as i can tell, it does not make a difference in sound quality, am i correct or has old age caught up to me and degraded my hearing ?

 

I too did not see any "Surround Sound" option in the Audio settings of my 16 XLE. Or am I looking in the wrong place.

 

No, I dont think it makes a difference. I think the Auto leveling is for compensating road noise? Not sure though. I tried a number of things to improvc the stock sound, and there was nothing that helped it enough.

 

Do you have the JBL? it maybe the non-JBL Entune, and probably don't have it.
Just check in your sound settings. I only had Bass/Mid/Treble if I remember correctly.

Here are the settings I have....@1:37
[ame]https://youtu.be/6p--9x4rReA?t=1m37s[/ame]

 

Do you have the JBL? it maybe the non-JBL Entune, and probably don't have it.
Just check in your sound settings. I only had Bass/Mid/Treble if I remember correctly.

Here are the settings I have....@1:37
https://youtu.be/6p--9x4rReA?t=1m37s

Thanks for that video Phil. I have the 16 XLE FWD so I don't have the JBL speakers which I believe start in the next trim level Limited and above. My audio settings look like yours @1:37 too. I don't have a "Surround Sound" on/off setting.