Factory sound system less than adequate?

or is the factory sound system less than adequate? I'm by no means an audiophile but the stereo system in my 2020 is lacking. When I first got my truck I was ecstatic with the sound, especially since I was previously listening to a 18 year old am/fm cassette player. Now 10 months later I guess the honeymoon is over.

What are your thoughts about replacing the factory system and what have you done to improve sound quality?

 

I think the jbl sounds good

 

Honestly, I use Apple Carplay with Spotify using an OEM Apple cable and I find the sound pretty good! Is it as good as the Bose system in our Mazda CX-5? Nope. But certainly not bad at all in my mind.

 

If you're ok with the factory head unit, start by replacing the front door and dash speakers. Crutchfield.com can tell you what's compatible with your vehicle, and usually throws in whatever adapters you might need.

https://www.crutchfield.com/

I replaced the 6×9's with JL C1-690'S and am pretty pleased. Without an amp, they're not really louder than stock, but more crisp and with WAY better bass.

If you're not going to add an amplifier, look at speakers with a high efficiency (SPL) rating. These will give you the most output possible with a low output head unit.

 

You have JBL or non JBL? (You should know by JBL label on headunit or the Subwoofer in the cargo area)

I have no complains with JBL system on my Limited. It doesn't give a bass that shakes the lift gate but very nice sound. I do adjust the EQ to my taste.

 

I'm not an expert in radio or sound system quality, so I can't comment on your concern. However, I have no love for my 2019 4Runner's other technical components. For example, it is impossible to unlock the driver door with the fob from any distance beyond having your hand on the door handle as the door relocks immediately. Annoying in the extreme. My last Toyota in any event.

 

Huh? It re-locks after 30 seconds if you don't open a door. If it's locking itself instantly, there's something wrong.

The 4runner surely isn't aimed at the technology crowd. If you were looking for gadgets and fancy electronic features, you chose basically the worst vehicle on the planet.

You might want to check out a different model before dismissing Toyota as a brand.

 

Anyone try oem audio plus? I usually go all out and regret spending the cash later

 

Op, here ya go. This should keep anyone happy

 

My 2019 SR5's remote works from at least 30' away. Overall my only gripe about the Runner is the lack of acceleration. It's like 0-60...eventually.

 

Have a question regarding the JBL sub that came in my 2020 4Runner. I hear/feel virtually nothing from this sub - is there a gain control anywhere to help solve the problem. Can’t find any details on this - your help would be very appreciated. Thank you.

 

No gain control just high, mid and bass ajustment

 

I definitely have the same issue in my 2021 TRD Pro. It's loaded with what I believe is their top of the line audio system for the 4runner (JBL). I've walked around to the back and put my hand on the subwoofer. I can feel slight vibration so it's getting a signal, and can hear slight bass. But that's it. Even heavy 808s aren't making it through.

Very disappointed with the stereo overall. Mids are muddy and the high end is shrill. Can't really EQ my way out of what I'd call average or below average sound.

I also have a Wrangler with their stepped up OEM Alpine system and it's not even close how much better that sounds.

 

What are 808's?

This makes me glad I didn't buy a 4Runner with the JBL system. The base stereo certainly isn't high fidelity, but it's not that bad. I've upgraded the front door speakers and it's nice enough that I'm not in a hurry to replace everything. Eventually, I'll do the rest of the speakers and a better head unit, though.

 

An 808 is a drum machine that makes a super low bass sound. Very popular these days in rap music. It's a basically a sound custom made to make a subwoofer rumble. Except mine ain't a-rumblin'!

 

Interesting. I had to google it out of curiosity. A lot of articles about mixing them. It sounds like they fall mostly between 50-100HZ.

Reminded me of recording an album in my wannabe Rockstar days. The bass sounded weak, so I asked the engineer to adjust it. He boosted it around 115HZ which sounded nice, but still lacked power.

Then he tells me he ran me through a high-pass filter at 80HZ! I'm like WTF?? My low B root note is 31HZ. most of what I play falls between there and around 110HZ.

Obviously overtones are higher, so it sounds fine but just doesn't have any authority.

He told me that's a common trick to make recordings sound cleaner. I was pissed. We weren't a pop band. We wanted it to sound like old dirty rock and roll!


To the topic of that subwoofer; It's just too small to reproduce any low note accurately IMO. I had a single 12" sub in my '94 in a sealed box I built, and that had some balls!

 

I was wondering about OEM audio plus as well. The couple of reviews on the website were positive but I had never heard of them before my google search. Also I’m not sure what the option is for a ‘21 with the JBL stereo.

My other thought was to just wire up the 10” sub and amp I pulled out of my old Honda when I sold it a few years ago...

 

I considered OEM audio, but opted to piece my own together for less than half the cost, we shall see if I am successful once I get it all hooked up and tuned.

 

So this may seem counter-ituitive, but I'm actually considering "down-grading" my audio. As it's been stated here, the factory JBL sub is mediocre, and I'd prefer the storage space I see around the wheel well of 4runners that don't have the JBL package.

I'd like to ditch the sub and the Amp for storage, but my front speakers quit when I unplug the Amp.
Does anyone know if removing the Amp would require installing an entire new stereo?

 

FWIW, the JBL BassPro SL2 fits under the driver's seat and adds some really nice low-end to the stock stereo. Nothing that'll rattle your windows, but a much richer sound.

On mine, I've used the basic-ass factory EQ sliders to get quite nice sound when using CarPlay. Having a hard time getting the same sound out of SiriusXM.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_109BASPRO2/JBL-BassPro-SL-2.html

 

The speakers pass through the amp, so you'll need to rewire the speakers to make them work again.

You could just remove the sub if you want more space, but at the end of the day, I'm not sure how much space savings you'll get from that, much less the amp.