Upgrading the factory JBL system in my 2022 TRD Pro - Full Build

Hello all,

I'm just venting here in hope that someone out there is struggling with the same problems. I am happy to help anyone doing similar mods.

I am currently in the process of upgrading the factory JBL system in my 2022 TRD Pro. I started by installing JL C2-350X 3.5in Coaxials to replace the dash tweeters. I mounted them using a simple 3D-printed bracket that I designed and was able to fit the grills without trimming. Also, I was not able to find a plug and play harness so I cut and soldered the wires directly. I initially installed a 133 uf bass blocker in line with them, but the sound output was greatly reduced over factory. I removed them and this improved the output and there was no problem with distortion since I learned that the JBL amp handles the crossover.

However, even after removing the bass blockers, I am still unsatisfied with the output since the JL C2-350Xs are 4 ohm with a sensitivity of only 83 dB as opposed to the 2 ohm JBL tweeters (unknown sensitivity). The sound quality and clarity are much 'brighter' and crisp than the factory JBLs, but I wish the output was the same. Also, at max volume when taking phone calls and driving it is nowhere near loud enough. I am going to live with this for now.

Has anyone been able to find a 2oh 3.5in coaxial or even a simple tweeter that resulted in better clarity with the JBL system? Also, has anyone had luck finding wiring harnesses that are compatible with the JBL system? I can't find them ANYWHERE. I am planning on replacing the driver door 6x9 woofers next and would prefer to not cut the factory harness again (as I am regretting that after my dash "upgrade"). The last step will be replacing the factory JBL sub with a JL 8W3 and a mono amp, and sound deadening as I go along.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Grant

 

For over all out put, using a 4ohm vs 2ohm load, would cut your power/output basically in half. I dont care for the oem stuff, "JBL' fancy or lower end. The oem amplifier, regardless of what tier, is trash imho. But fine for the masses. (the oem amp will actually "cut" voltage, when turned up, to protect the turd drivers they use, as well as pass band to early and to late, all because they want to protect the drivers)

I ditched all the oem stuff and use my own HU, DSP, amplifiers, and drivers, (amp for door mids (satori 7") and amp for dash tweets (hertz 3.5 coax) so i have all the power i need regardless of load presented. Along with several several sheets of second skin damplifer on the front doors, and back hatch. Im a huge believer in any type of dampener. Still need to get the roof done at some point. I really doubt even if you find a 2ohm driver, using the oem amp, will make much if any difference, but there are tons out there that will fit in that huge dash space. Wish you luck in whatever direction ya go mate. I love audio/music. And just have to have a "decent" audio system in my rigs. Always have, and always will.
EDIT-
https://www.4runners.com/threads/audio-build-2018-runner.7716/

 

In the spirit of ditching oem stuff...which you have to do in order to get any decent sound....I wouldn't worry about the factory wiring at all. Cut that shit. Taco Tunes has good speaker brackets. Were you going to use any?

 

I appreciate your response. That's what I was fearing. I wish there were a way to at least keep the factory HU and just replace the JBL amp and speakers. Something about switching to an aftermarket head unit that doesn't sit right with me. In my ideal world I would have the factory HU with an aftermarket multi-channel AMP for the dash, doors, and hatch speakers and an upgraded 8in sub in the factory location hooked up to a mono amp. I know this probably isn't possible without ripping the head unit out, but I could be wrong.

 

Fair enough and I could always solder everything back to factory without too much pain if I had to. And yes I am planning on using taco tunes or similar brackets for the 6x9s and the 6in coaxials in the rear. I will also be documenting everything I decide to do with photos in this thread.

 

I just saw this in another thread and was wondering if anyone has any experience using it. From what I gathered it's an amp that plugs into the factory head unit and results in higher output with a JBL sound system. I don't know how it is able to seamlessly work with the factory JBL amp. I have never seen anything like this so I'm a little skeptical to trust the results they claim. If it's legit then for $300 it might be worth giving it a try before I go ahead and replace the whole sound system. Would love to hear yalls thoughts on this.

https://www.beatsonicusa.com/produc...ect-2018-toyota-models?variant=44580022911127

 

There's those heat shrink solder joints work really well. After reading on reddit about connectors I've just been doing crimps with heat shrink.

I would crimp on connectors so you can unplug the speaker.

The screws that come with the Taco Tunes brackets are garbage. Be ready to go to the hardware store for new screws.

 

No sir. I get it. I totally understand. After fighting with newer vehicles have half the vehicle controls run through the deck/hu, and other newer oem issues, it can be a absolute bear, to just try and upgrade, or change anything regarding the audio these days. The 5th gen, isnt all that bad thought. But, I get it my friend. You could add a couple of line output converters, and then add boards (amplifers) and swap drivers. Some amps have that ability, audio control comes to mind. That said, if you go the LOC route, i HIGHLY suggest getting a top tier unit. The Damore unit is my favorite, along with audio control. Most cheaper ones will distort the second a input is even applied. You could huck in a cheap but effective DSP, so you could boost/cut, Xover any channel to your liking, and "fixing" the oem curve. That route also brings its own pain in the taint issues. Its all up to you, and how deep the rabbit hole (like doing any mod or change) ya wanna go, along with cost and time.


I wish you luck with whatever you choose. Cheers, and good luck.

EDIT- (Again, i highly recommend using some sort of dampner on a panel your going to take off anyway, to get to what your doing)

 

BUILD UPDATE: (Photos Below)

• Installed JL Audio 3.5in C2 350X coaxials in the dash.
• Completed sound deadening of both front doors and door panels using Siless 80mil from Amazon. Took around 20sqft to get the front doors done, but I probably could've used less. This completely removed the rattle from the door panels when playing certain low-frequency bass that made certain songs unbearable before this upgrade.
• Installed aftermarket 4 Ohm 50 Watt 6x9s that I got for free to replace factory JBL speakers. Used these brackets:
  $18 RED WOLF 6" x 9" Front Door Speaker Bracket Adapter for 2004 Up Toyota 4Runner Avalon Highlander Tacoma Prius Sequoia Tundra Install 6 x 9” Aftermarket Audio Speaker Spacer Ring Holder 2 PCS
  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQ7R9QJY?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
• These have been producing tighter bass than the paper woofer JBLs and do not appear to be quieter than the factory JBLs even though they are 4ohm instead of 2ohm. I cut the factory harness and wired the positive to the green wire and the negative to the blue wire.
• The next step is probably the 6.5in rear door and hatch coaxials since they are noticeably louder and screechier than the 4ohm dash speakers I installed. I would be open to selling the JL 3.5 dash speakers to anyone without a JBL system so that I could find a 2ohm dash speaker replacement that's as loud as the rest of my system. Message me if interested.

I'm happy to expand or answer any questions anyone has as I continue to upgrade!

• 

 

You got rid of the vapor barrier completely and replaced it with sound deadening sheet?

 

Yes and kind of... I had to remove the vapor barrier in order to get access to the areas I wanted to add sound deadening sheets. I lined the entire outer exterior panel and both sides of the 'interior' sheet metal of the door in sound deadening material. I wouldn't say that the sound deadening acts as a replacement since the door panel is still more exposed to the elements.

I am planning on eventually replacing the vapor barrier with a plastic sheet from home depot and resealing it with a butyl rubber sealant. I am going to monitor how much water if any gets in the next time I drive in the rain and make my decision from there.

 

I actually just removed the speaker and used that cavity to stick 3 whole sheets on the inside of the outer door. In hindsight, it did give me a lot of nasty cuts.
I did pull down the vapor barrier from the top and let it hand to reach some hard to reach places.
I was told to not remove the vapor barrier entirely and wanted to have access to the window regulator, lock, glass etc in case they stopped working.
Honestly it did not do much for any sound deadening but it did reduce vibrations and removed that tin can feel of the door when closing.

 

@Metallic TRD Pro
I also have a 2022 TRD pro that I'm planning on upgrading audio. Did you amp your set up yet? I am likely going to do this all myself so need to do in phases to minimize downtime. Was thinking to do amp replacement first and leave stock speakers for a bit.

 

There are specific things made today that sound like what you are looking for. I too noticed in my new 4R that when you turn the volume up, the radio cuts the bass down. I installed an amp and sub and tapped into the speaker level inputs and the same thing happened with the new sub and amp. As you turn up the volume, the sub also reduces its intensity with the factory speakers. I went to a stereo shop and he told me about this box you can hook behind the dash in a T harness that will solve that and give you the correct voltage for RCAs for aftermarket amp and stereo systems. I havent bought it yet and rewired everything but i may in the future. I kinda wanna say it was a Maestro maybe? What you are wanting might be and should be listed in this listing below, it allows you to retain the OEM head unit but get actual real sound without bass fade as you turn up the volume.

https://www.sonicelectronix.com/2023-toyota-4runner-better-sound-with-a-factory-radio

 

Yes, that is exactly what I am looking at - Maestro AR and the Toyota harness along with a compatible amplifier with that maestro interface (Audison AF M12.14).
thanks

 

Some big updates to the JBL "premium" sound system upgrade:

• Replaced the JL Audio 3.5in C2 350X coaxials with Infinity Reference 3032cf 3.5-Inch (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CMYVLI?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1).
  • The JLs sounded crisp but were noticeably quieter than the rest of the system, and phone calls were impossible to hear. The infinities are higher sensitivity, around 3 ohm (Louder than 4ohm JLs off factory amp), and still sound great.
• Replaced the factory JBL subwoofer (Barely a sub) with a JL 8W3v3-4 powered by a JL JD500/1 Amp. Crazy how much this little sub gets down. What a difference!
  • Used an LC2i Pro as the line output convertor. The signal is coming from the factory subs speaker level inputs (Post JBL amp signal).

I am working on putting together another post with a lot more detail to help anyone who is trying to do the same. Hopefully, I can help someone avoid the same roadblocks I ran into. Most of the other threads with a similar mod are either non-jbl 4runners or a complete jbl system tear-out. I am trying to get the best sound I can while keeping the JBL amp and headunit (for now ). Feel free to reach out with any questions and I'll make sure to add them to the full detailed build post.

 

so hot, please share more.

Hey you put some mat over the sound deadening? whats that?

 

That looks great. The 4runner is one of the more complicated audio systems I’ve ever upgraded so thanks for sharing all you have done. I’ve heard the infinity reference dash speakers are the best bang for the buck. On the cargo area floor did you do dynamat and then A decoupling layer? If so how do you feel like that affected overall sound and road noise?

 

It's a closed-cell foam with an adhesive backing from Silas. Here's the link

$26 Siless Liner 157 (4 mm) mil 18 sqft Car Sound Deadening Closed Cell Foam & Heat Insulation mat - PE Foam Sound Deadener Material & Heat Barrier

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CY12JB8F?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

I used soundskin 80 mil as the base layer and topped it off with the closed-cell foam.
https://soundskinsglobal.com/produc...6CLdQw__fxZMN02cPetidxwDOLSV_WD8aAtgpEALw_wcB

It definitely helps with the noise from the trd exhaust. If you are pulling everything out for whatever reason, you might as well put some sound deadening down where you can. I definitely would not go to the trouble of taking the rear seats out just for the sake of adding sound deadening if I wasn't doing the sub upgrade.

 

@pooneej Did you ever complete this install with the OEM headunit and Maestro AR? I have an AR2 and Audison Forza 8.14 and looking for a clear video/connection diagram. The Maestro and Audison manuals are not as clear as I would like.

 

@tk421 I still haven't started it yet. From what I dug through (Maestro AR2), it seemed straightforward enough. Basically the factory amp harness connects to the maestro harness then connects to the Audison amp. Pulled these instructions from crutchfield:
794HARTO1

But this installer said to bypass that AR2 -
2024 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Idatalink AR interface! JBL goes and the Stock Radio STAYS!


I also came across some information regarding the Audison DRC AC cannot be used with the Maestro AR2 (and I really wanted to use that since I did buy it along with the audision 12.14 amp), so I may just replace the HU with a kenwood (not a floating screen one, a 6.8" fit in dash one)

What will you be running for speakers and sub?

 

I saw that video but missed the key section at 4:21 where he shows the actual connection. Thank you for making me go back and watch that again. He doesn't actually show the Audison to Maestro short connector end, which I need to see. Audison sent me the wrong connector that goes between the AR2 and the C8.14 (or at least I think it is wrong because the leads don't match. Ugh.

I would call iDatalink and check on the AC bit...I suspect the answer still stands per their knowledge base but maybe the AR2 allows for some additional control. The fact that they have not updated their videos and manuals is really frustrating.

I'll have a full post with photos and steps soon...assuming I can get the right Audison cord. I am did not mess with running new direct wires for the tweeter and hatch. I did replace all speakers in the entire car. So far everything is working, but I have not yet finished the amp install. Someday I may run new wires but it's taken me long enough to get this far.

 

One note to add on my comment above. The stupid AR2 came with a RR2 manual :/

 

I went down this terrible windy road and ended up replacing the head unit after doing everything possible to keep it. Such a huge difference, wish i avoided all the headaches of trying to keep it.

Its true, the old statement that "your sound system is only as good as its weakest component". And the head unit is terrible.

 

My biggest concern is most of the aftermarket head units rely on Android and I worry about getting regular security updates. I may end up there, but even as crappy as the cameras are I like my 360 view....I might give up on that tho too. Which head unit did you get @Ripper238 ?

 

Yes, that was my concern as well but Android seems to be pretty solid and has modest stable updates. I left the rear camera and it only improved a bit, the front camera i added is nice and clear.
I'm more of a functional guy and do a lot of off-road/traveling, my eyes are not as good as they used to be so i went all out. Got a Kenwood DMX 10.1 touch screen with old school volume knob. Yes, its big and sticks out but it can do soooo much....(including clearing codes). No issue with the vents being covered slightly, but i do live in the NE.

 

@tk421 - I'll keep an eye out for your build post. I am close to having everything I need.

So regarding that Maestro cable this won't be the right one? -- I still haven't purchased a Maestro and now debating over HU replacement or that AR2. that comment @Ripper238 posted about the HU has me second guessing this all once again lol

oh also: I was planning on using the stock wiring but now you have me second guessing that when you say you will be running new speaker wires !

 

Yep. Called Audison. That's the harness I have. They say it's what I need so I'll try again. Tech said I need to go through config first before the amp will work.

One problem I'm having now is when I installed the new sub my audio dropped out. My volume button doesn't work. It's happened to me before when I connected via BT. Audio Volume button would not work but then after a restart all was well. I got it working last night by disconnecting everything from the stock amp and plugging back in. Now it's off again after I did nothing since yesterday. Ugh. I'll try setting up the amp tonight with all harnesses installed and see what happens. Hopefully the OEM amp is just bad.

Stock wiring is fine...it's just shitty that the front speakers are in series and rear are in parallel. I don't want to run new wires just to have an 8.1 system. It'll sound good enough as is. I get a much fuller sound with my replacement speakers. Can't wait to get the amp working.

Edit: interesting. The audio issue occurred after I replaced my sub. Twice now I have disconnected my sub and everything worked fine. It even worked fine after I plugged the sub back in. I suspect with the dual voice coil on the stock JBL I'm messing something up but just jumpering the connection at the amp. I'll get things set up with the new amp and see what happens.

 

Hey, thanks for posting this build! I’m currently planning mine out (2019 Ltd w/ JBL) and I’m weighing my options to keep the stock head unit. I called Crutchfield and they sent me this item… would allow the stock head unit and additional amps. Any thoughts on why this wouldn’t work?

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-xsmL6...AP4-TY13-Aftermarket-Amplifier-Interface.html

 

That will work if you want to retain your HU. Issue there is that it's not a pre out if that matters. I'll get my post up now about my build on my 2023 Limited. It should help.

Edit: post started here: https://www.4runners.com/threads/2023-limited-jbl-amp-swap-build.44171/#post-709788