CynicX

I have an ext cab 04 taco with 6 stock speakers.....I want to upgrade it a little. I'm not looking for a ton of bass. I was thinking maybe just some brand name speakers. I'd like to keep the stock head. Money isnt really a problem but like I said I just want a mild upgrade, you know a little louder and alot more clarity if possible maybe even a little more bass but no sub. I want to install it myself which I dont think will be a problem I have a pretty good back ground in electronics, but not in car audio. What do you guys think my options are? Thanks

4x4runner4x4

best place to start would be www.crutchfield.com . all you do is tell them what car you have and it will give you every speaker that can fit, buy it from them and they give you speaker mounts, instructions..all for free. in my opinion the Infinity series are really good. really high clarity and the 5.25" put out quite a bit of good bass. i just put Infinitys in my 4runner and they sound great. just make sure you look around other sites fro reviews and prices...good luck.

GodwinAustin

Cynicx - I dont think you can add a amp to the factory head unit -though I may be wrong....

if you get new speakers you need more power orit will sound like crap.

crutchfield has tons of good info

89macrunner

you will notice a bigger sound improvment from a new high quality head unit like an alpine more than new speakers. The alpine heads have better electronics and more power to drive your speakers. Youll notice a great improvemnt in sound quality and volume with a new head compared to new speakers. installing heads in yotas espiecaly pre 4th gen is very easy if you get the wire harness adaptor and the housing adaptors.

NisAznMonk

If you want to keep your factory headunit, then you need to look into a high quality line output convertor (LOC).

http://www.autosound2000.com/adaptor_products.htm

Thats an excellent one. Many SQ competitors use that in thier vehicles. Lots of OEM radios are pretty good, they just lack the RCA outputs.

GodwinAustin

wow - thats awesome -I had no idea those things were available....will the sound quality be just as good with the factory head unit/adaptor thingy/amplifier as with an aftermarket head unit???

I was not going to upgrade my sound because I wanted to stay oem in the interior, and the sound really isnt that bad - but this changes things

Mystickal

There's no definite answer to this type of question.

First of all, a headunit will make the least amount of difference to your sound (barring things like bass boost, EQ sound fields, etc.). From a pure quality standpoint, upgrading speakers and amplifying them cause the most dramatic improvement in sound quality.

Second of all, it highly depends on which factory headunit you're comparing to which aftermarket head. Most of the time, aftermarket heads are more desirable, because they have more features. These features often allow the tailoring of the sound to better fit the accoustical properties of the vehicle. For example, aftermarket decks can filter certain frequencies heading to certain speakers, dramatically improving the sound stage (and speaker life!). Many aftermarket decks also feature very sophisticated equalization features.

When you have a competition level system, you probably have an off-board equalizer, so these things don't necessarily matter as much to you. Though I've seen more aftermarket heads than OEM heads in high-end systems.

Personally, I've never been fond of the line output converters, because you are taking an amplified signal (thus amplifying any noise from the original source), converting it to a line-level signal (with the noise intact), and then amplifying it again (amplifying the noise again).

Note that there are many aftermarket amplifiers that will accept speaker level inputs, eliminating the need for the line output converter. These amplifiers are ideal for first time upgrades, because they allow you to use your OEM headunit initially, and then if you decide to go aftermarket later, you don't have a $30 paperweight. It also saves you from having to buy RCA interconnects to go between the converter and your amplifier.

Your SQ may not be bad, in more and more vehicles it is getting better and better from the factory; that said, most OEM speakers won't hold up more than a few years, often being made from paper (which, while very efficient and not needing a lot of power to make a lot of sound, turns to crap (in a vehicle environment) relatively quickly). Aftermarket speakers can and will give you more bass and clarity.

~Bill

GodwinAustin

are amps that affect speaker level inputs (rather than coax) rare?

I really dont care about all those stupid (IMO) feautures on aftermarket decks - but I do care about sound quality - so would it work if I found an amp like the one you mentioned and hook it right up to my deck and then out to the speakers? (I would buy new aftermarket speakers)

Mystickal

Rare? Not at all.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-fy8310C...Level%5FInputs

There are 20 or so that Crutchfield sells with speaker-level inputs.

I would say that as a feature, it is more uncommon on the very low end and the very high end. But that's a general statement, and I hate speaking in absolute terms, because you'll find several examples on the very low end and the very high end that do indeed have them.

Yes, hooking up one or more of these amps and aftermarket speakers will give you dramatically better sound quality. Well, probably Did I mention I hate speaking in absolute terms? With a 97 Tacoma, if you still have the stock speakers, you will definitely notice a big improvement in clarity, bass response, and imaging. Even with the stock head unit.

~Bill