3rd Gen non JBL sound system Upgrade Info

Try locating this question in the second gen section of the forum and you'll probably get an answer. You posted this in a third gen thread, so you're chances of getting an answer are very low...although the second gen'ers do like to troll around here about exploding engines so maybe you will get an answer.

 

lol thanks dude sorry about didn’t even noticed the mixed up so into the wiring didn’t notice that.

 

Maybe I missed it in this thread (read the full thread), but has anyone just tapped into the JBL Sub speaker wires for the LOC?

I have a 24 crew cab non hybrid with JBL. Looking to getting the JL stealthbox (hate that I'll be losing backseat storage) but it's the cleanest look.

Since the LOC will be post factory Amp, I really hope I can basically lower all the bass on the head unit, but modify the output on the dedicated amp for the sub.

Any thoughts on this type of setup? I'll need to run power for the LOC and Amp still.

 

This thread is for the non-JBL system. There may be another one for the JBL, but IDK. Or you can start one.

 

Alright, I've read this thread a few times and learned a ton. Now I think I'm ready to start my sound project.

For those that put the amp behind the seat with the OEM plastic compartment, have you had any heat issues?

For those that went components up front, is my understanding that you remove the 3.5" corner and put the tweeter there? (I don't have the JBL sail option yet). I am leaning towards replacing the 3.5"'s with the tweeter using matched components (Focal Performance 165AS).

 

no heat issues, no warping etc.

I went with Focal PS165 F3E up front so that uses a 3in driver in each corner and then disconnected the OEM middle driver. I added the JBL a pillar sail to keep everything OEM looking

 

I have my Kenwood 5-channel amp mounted in the little cubby next to the jack. No heat issues at all. See post #166 for photos.

 

Hello folks - I need help. I am an absolute newb and know nothing about car audio. I have never done mods, subs, better speakers, nothing. That said, I am looking to upgrade the speakers in my ‘24 non-hybrid/non-JBL Limited. I am really just looking for simple sorta drop-in speaker replacements, so looking for thoughts/links to good products. I also read here that if you upgrade the side dash speakers, you can just unplug the centre speaks…? I am sorry if these are just silly basic questions, just looking for a relatively simple upgrade over stock.

 

Budget?

 

1500 CDN

 

Have these installed by someone who knows what they are doing.

front 3 ways
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_091165AS3/Focal-Performance-165AS3.html?tp=106

Line-out converter that will allow for future expansion to subs/rear doors if budget allows
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_161LC7IPRO/AudioControl-LC7iPRO.html?tp=100807

Amplifier and wiring
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_091AP4340/Focal-AP-4340.html?tp=35782
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_007CK8/Crutchfield-CK8.html
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_007CM...rence-4-Channel-RCA-Patch-Cables-12-foot.html

Too lazy to do math for currency conversion but should be ~1200 USD.


The best thing to do IMO is talk to a local shop and give them your budget and what you want. Focus on front staging and then begin to expand as budget allows.

 

Thanks man, I'm going to bite a bullet and do this, I'm not a audiophile at all but stock non jbl 9 speaker system in limited sucks. I installed 10 inch powered sub under rear seat - no help, just more bass

 

well , I'm going to try cheap route, just replacing fronts and rear speakers, no amp, nothing , just running of factory head unit. hopefully it will be little better than stock ones. I already have Rockford Fosgate P300-8P Punch 8" 300-Watt Amplified Subwoofer under rear seat. those front and rears are $129 per pair right now at Crutchfield
fronts and rears: Focal RSE-165Auditor Series 6-1/2" component system

 

Well, first set is delivered today, will install front ones first

 

Closely watching this.... I have a 2024 limited non JBL truck and I'm a complete idiot when it comes to audio systems. Hope the speakers give it the "punch" we're looking for. Good luck and keep us posted! Thx!

 

consider using these for slightly better sound. Make sure you seal the screw holes too with some type of compound/silicone and wrap the wires with some Tessa tape to keep from rattling.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_239SSKSEK/Soundskins-SSK-SEK-Speaker-Enhancement-Kit.html?tp=61811

 

Well, good news and bad news.

BAD NEWS: The Focal speakers don’t sound good with the OEM head unit; they really need an amp to perform well. Surprisingly, the stock door woofers without an amp sound better than the Focal ones in this setup.

GOOD NEWS: I did a bit of experimenting and "Frankensteining." I installed the Focal crossovers and tweeters but connected the stock door speakers through the Focal crossovers. Wow! Now I have the highs I was missing, and the sound is night-and-day better than before. I installed the tweeters in the upper corner of the front door trim (the part covering the back of the side mirrors).

To install the tweeters, I used a 1-3/4" hole saw to cut through the plastic and an oscillating tool to trim the aluminum behind the tweeters. I secured the tweeters in place with a hot glue gun.

The tweeters made a massive difference—they fill in the missing frequencies from the stock sound. Now it feels like I’m at a concert! My wife has the Mark Levinson system in her Lexus GX460, and even she says my Tundra sounds better now (though she mainly listens to instrumental music). Personally, I still think her system has the edge, but I’m thrilled with the result.

Overall, I’m very satisfied—this is the best $150 I’ve spent on a sound upgrade ($129 for the speakers and $17 for the hole saw). I’m not sure what I’ll do with the leftover 6.5” Focal woofers, though. Maybe someday I’ll install an amp for them, but honestly, I’m so happy with the sound now that I probably won’t bother.

Just FYI: I’m not an audiophile—far from it—so I’m sure some people with high-end setups might laugh at what I did. But this works great for me, and I’m loving my audio system now. (For context, I do have an 8-inch powered Rockford sub under the rear seat.)

I also installed a bass control knob in the blank switch area on the left side, below the steering wheel. I just drilled a hole in the spot intended for the LED light bar switch in the TRD Pro.

Here’s my complete setup so far (around $480 total):


tweeters/crossover's and everything needed for install:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_091RSE165/Focal-RSE-165.html
https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-1-3-4-in-Bi-Metal-Arbored-Hole-Saw/1000593865
(I used only crossovers and tweeters)

subwoofer and everything needed for install:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FN75M1V?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTHW8YBC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FKP7TY?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
(sub is under rear seat)

 

Today, I canceled the order for the amp and second set of speakers—really happy with my setup. It’s amazing how much of a difference a subwoofer and tweeters make to the stock system.

 

I can't stop lol, still going ''cheap'' route , so far around $1000 down in the drain


today got this
https://www.amazon.com/AudioControl...8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

this

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_130GMDX874/Pioneer-GM-DX874.html

this for dash speakers ( to be in parallel connection with doors)
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20651KSC27/Kicker-KSC270.html

this
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_541LPHTY02/PAC-LPHTY02-LocPro-Advanced-T-Harness.html
and this
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_541LPHEX17/PAC-LPHEXT17-Speaker-Harness-Extension.html

IDK how its going to sound, will see

so far dash speakers getting replaced, door speakers and tweeters installed , powered sub and amp installed , in line convertor, amp to power up speakers etc ....

 

Man, car audio upgrades are expensive! I went for some budget-friendly options, and it still added up to around $1,055. Here’s the breakdown:

Speakers (Focal for front and rear doors, with tweeters): $130 each x 2 = $260

Subwoofer (Rockford Fosgate with built-in amp): $280

Front 3.5” Dash Speakers (Kicker): $80

Wiring Harness, RCA Cables, Power Cables, etc.: $140

AudioControl LC7i (6-channel line output converter): $125

Pioneer GM-DX874 Amp (4-channel, 100W RMS x 4): $170 on sale (regularly $269)


Total: $1,055 for a "budget" upgrade—crazy!

I’ll get the rest of the setup installed by the end of the week and give you the verdict on whether it’s worth it (probably not… but who knows?).

Funny thing, though—I usually don’t even turn the music on while I’m driving. Guess the real addiction here is building the setup!

 

Hard to tell for sure but I THINK that the T-Harness you pictured should work. Not 100% sure though


I used this one from Amazon and spliced in a stinger 9 wire bundle.
https://a.co/d/1IKuvdf
https://a.co/d/6B9yNpk
I grabbed the remote wire from this harness
https://www.autoharnesshouse.com/21698.html

 

I got the Focal 165 AS3 3-way installed up front. I was really thinking about getting the JBL a-pilars, but I don't think they look bad. It helps that they match the dash.



Running everything through the Kicker Key 200.4 which does the auto-DSP thing, and that really makes things sound nice. With it off, I don't love it, but with it on it is a huge improvement.

The passive crossovers are pretty big. There is a lot of room, but on the driver's side, I got a lot of interference/noise in a few places. I found a good spot for now where I get a little bit right at ignition for about 2 seconds. There are a lot of OEM wire harnesses in that area.

 

Just FYI, you can get spray paint that matches the pillars and use it to spray paint the grilles on the tweeters for a more OEM look, if that’s what you're aiming for.

 

Amp arrived with one non working channel. Is crutchfield pretty good about returns?
Other than that system sounds great, had to built little amp rack under rear seat.

 

I'd say better than good. They will help you troubleshoot just to be sure and then send a new one, let you replace and then ship back the old one on their dime.

 

If any of you guys will ever do upgrade of your system watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5UYKw9j33Q&ab_channel=Boost&Shutter

That guy explains it really well. I'm a total noob when it comes to car audio, and this video helped me a lot.


Oh, and by the way, my upgraded sound system is the best I've ever had in a vehicle—and I've owned many premium and luxury vehicles like the S550, G-Wagon, and Porsche. I've had JBL, Harman Kardon, Bose, Mark Levinson, and other systems, but none of them come close to what I have now. And this is with one dead channel on the amp, so I'm only running the front speakers!

 

Hi all,

I'm Brian from AutoHarnessHouse. I'm interested in building this splice adapter with longer wire leads:
https://www.autoharnesshouse.com/82193_info.html

It sounds like many of you have extended it for the non-JBL trucks and it would be helpful to have enough wire to get to the amp. Here's my question: How long should the wires be? Depending on where you're mounting your amp, 5 ft for input and output (10 ft total) may be enough but I wanted to get your thoughts.

Thanks for any feedback you can provide!

 

How's it going Brian! This is a fantastic idea as the only other company making a longer harness is TT. They have two options: 1st, is the exact same as the one in the link you posted; 2nd, they list at 17'. I do not know if that means 8.5' each way, or 17' each way, and I can't decern from their description what it would be either. I will say that I think 5' each way might be a little short if people are running to amps installed on back wall. This may sound exaggerated, but in my opinion 10' each way would be perfect. With that length one could route the wiring alongside factory harness(es) and keep a clean install.
I personally did not run each way. I did use the AutoHarnessHouse adapter you listed and cut the wires closer to the speaker input connector as I did not use the factory speaker wire connectors at each speaker. I ran speaker wire from each of my amps directly to the speakers. I used a 9-wire "spider" wire soldered into the AutoHarnessHouse harness. Ran that from my factory head unit into the high-level connector of my DSP.
I have seen others that did run each way using your harness. The common comments were they wished the wiring was longer between the two connectors and wished that is was 16 gauge wire. I heard some guys repined the connector using 16 gauge wire and other said they only repined the speaker input side with 16 gauge wire (left the 18 gauge wire/connector running to the amp, DSP, LOC, etc).
Anyways, hope this info helps and I looke forward to seeing a new product from y'all soon! Good luck, sir!

 

I think 15' would be a good length to reach amps on the back wall of the CrewCab. 18g from the headunit to the amps and then 16g from the amp back to the factory plug