Audio Upgrade

It’s gorgeous! How much of a % of the vent is blocked would you say?
Also, can it be lowered a bit?

 

It does cover quite a bit actually no matter how you position it given the limited space on the 4R dash.
It looks very good though, but a more reasonable size is the 9 inch one. That you can position it on the lower part and it barely covers any vents and only a smidge over the HVAC controls.

 

Appreciate your insight

 

I went with a Pioneer DMH-2660NEX.
I love it.

 

About 40-60% depending on height. I have it at its lowest to block the vents as little as possible. It can be lowered/raised or angled. I ended up making a deflector so the vents direct more air rather than block it but in TX heat and the like it may not be enough. I mostly travel the NE so it's not really an issue.

In my case the advantages far outweigh the 2 negatives of blocking chest AC or visual of the AC controls. I find the A/C in the 4R to be rather good at cooling down and don't really need direct A/C on my chest. I also utilise the window side vent for that.

This is my positioning now:

 

I upgraded my 2019 radio to a 2022 OEM radio and love it as well! It's a huge improvement and kept the OEM look. It's a plug and play with this harness I got from; autoharnesshouse.com

 

What about those Dasaita or T10 or whatever they’re called units? Their all over youtube

 

I personally wouldn’t trust those on the long run. Stick to name brand head units or upgrade to the new OEM radio.

 

hmm. They sure fit and look OEM in the vehicle tho. Very well done on that part by the Chinese.

 

It's basically an android tablet masquerading as a head unit. Has a ton of features and you can pretty much do anything what you can on a sim enabled tablet. But it needs continuous tinkering. There is a very strong Facebook support group if you get stuck, but I prefer if things work the way they should be without hiccups and diagnosis.

They do look good and the paint quality and fit and finish has reached almost name brand level.

Infact their latest is like the one you get in the new Lexus GX. Called the T12, it actually changes the position of the vents to sit lower and has a 12 inch floating screen. Looks phenomenal, but then again.

 

I love my Joying 10.1" bought for the following reasons:

• TOSLINK digital output
• Came with a real GPS/Glonass antenna for offline maps
• Steering wheel controls didn't need an expensive harness (at least not for my 2011 5th gen)
• Full android apps
• Doesn't look out of place (to me) in the dash of a 5th gen

I've only had it for a few months so I can't say much about its long term reliability/longevity, but it boots up faster than any Pioneer/Alpine/Kenwood that I've owned and it hasn't once frozen on me.

 

They head units you guys replace are these the regular audio with non JBL or with JBL. Would these even work with the JBL amp and speakers in the car.

 

You have to use the non JBL head units for the swap .For the JBL units to work, you would also need to get the JBL amp, and that costs extra and needs even more harnesses.
For a swap an entune 3.0 JBL unit is not compatible with an Entune 2.0 JBL amp.

 

Wait, what? So if you have a JBL system (Limited) changing head units renders the OEM/stock amp in the trunk useless? Is that what I’m understanding?

Does this apply to the kenwood etc name brand units or just the Chinese ones or both?

 

Can you install Torque app and install a OBD dongle down by the port and then have constant display of certain read outs?

 

This only applies if you want to retro fit an entune 3.0 OEM head unit from 2020+ 4R in your 14-19 4r that has an entune 2.0 system with or without JBL.

I am sure Sony/Kenwood etc should have no problem powering the stock JBL amp with some harnesses. But you will have to cross check with someone who has done this swap on a limited.

The newer Sony and Kenwood will give you vehicle readouts using the data link modules. So you have speed, rpm, tpms etc You can even have the AC controls on it now.

 

You'd need an adapter/module like this one https://www.crutchfield.com/p_794ADSMRR/iDatalink-Maestro-RR-Interface-Module.html?tp=3486

 

That is what I am trying to find out if it is possible to swap the JBL headunit in 2021 to a aftermarket and keep the steering wheel controls etc. Also would that improve the sound, be the same, or make it worst if keeping the OEM amp and speakers intact.

The extra info that can be displayed on screen sounds preety good as well.

 

Yup, that's next on my to-do list

 

Is this something a regular person can set up, meaning no special computer access or account needed to flash it with the proper software for the car, etc.

 

You do need to hook it up via USB with installed software to program it to the proper car model. This is prior to install.

 

Provide an update once complete, please?

 

So TrailGridPro now offers a Focal speaker package. I have always been a big fan of the Focal brand so curious to see some reviews come in on how much of an upgrade it is. It’s a good bit more expensive than the Kicker option.

 

Let's play what's in the box? Hint-it goes boom!

 

Let’s check out that Stealth box! Let us know your thoughts after install.

 

Is there much difference between the JBL speakers and the Kicker? I found a head unit I want but not sure if I want to go ahead and upgrade the whole speaker system as well if there isn't much difference...

 

I second that opinion !!

 

Has anyone actually analyzed the outputs directly on a test bench to prove this? So far I see no proof of this and suspect it is not true.

There were rumors to this effect for later model FJ Cruisers and they all turned out to be false. I attributed the misinformation to the ASL in the head end unit, which can be turned off. Automatic Sound Levelizer. Most people have no idea that it's there or what it does.

ASL automatically adjusts the volume and tone quality according to the vehicle speed.

Fine. Turn ASL off. Problem solved.

 

ASL has nothing to do with how the default EQ curve has been set by Toyota in the 4runner head unit.
ASL merely increases the volume of the head unit when a vehicle speed increases to compensate for increased vehicular noise.
Depending upon the setting selected, the increase in volume could be to a point where the speakers start to distort but it will not alter the eq curve and start sending vocals to the front dash speakers or bass to the rear and hatch speakers.

 

Can you prove with a bench test and results (not frequency analysis played through speakers) that this exists?

Many people said it existed in the 2011-2014 FJ Cruiser head end unit, and it was false. I see no evidence of it in the recent 4Runners either. Many people have used aftermarket speakers with it with no reports of any EQ happening in the head end unit. If it were true, normal speakers would not sound good, and they do. OEM Audio and Kicker do not mention it in their highly regarded speaker upgrades and their speaker packages are standard speakers, not adjusting for some supposed factory EQ that we can't get rid of.

Although a baseline EQ and some processing likely is built into the JBL version, I see no proof that there is anything done in the plain Jane head end unit, and I see evidence that suggests nothing is done. It's very easy to claim something is there, especially when trying to demonize a stock head end unit. It's quite another thing to back up such claims with proof.

This is not correct. I quoted directly from Toyota. It is likely the source of much of this speculation since many people don't know it's there, don't understand what it does, and don't turn it off. In that case, as shown above, you do get EQ that may be unwanted.

If anyone has proof from a bench test that there is some sort of other built-in, nonadjustable, always-on, non-ASL, EQ or frequency contouring that is going on in the non-JBL head end unit, using an actual bench test instead of speculation or repeating something someone else said, please post test results.