2022 Limited Full Build

All,

I am new to the forum from the euro world. Me and my wife bought this in November with 3k on the clock, and fell in love with it immediately. However, it is time to shore up the weak points.

Details:

- Audiofrog GB15/GS25/GS690 + SI SQL15
- JL HD1200/1 + XD800/8
- Pioneer 2660NEX + TWK88 for signal

Disassembled for deadening, hoping to have most things back in by weeks end. My end date is really dependent on when my friend can bring in the 800/8 (last minute purchase to replace (2) slash amps) but most likely within 2 weeks (weather in PA is the biggest factor right now).

Thanks for looking, I have included a couple of pictures below and will document the next couple of weeks to completion.

 

Welcome to the forums and congratulations on your 4Runner.

Look forward to seeing the progress on your build.

 

Thanks for the reception guys. I will try to document my build so others can reference, and am happy to answer any questions.

This build will be configured as such:

- active 3-way front stage - the gs690 will move almost 2x the air of most high end 6” sq woofers at the cost of high frequency performance. This is perfect because the high-pass filter will be set at around 4-500hz. The gs25 will be in dash picking up at 500hz for a high position soundstage. It is NOT IDEAL to use speakers pointed toward the glass (reflections are terrible for sq) so the gb15 will start picking up around 2k to minimize the frequencies being trapped in the dash corner. These will be mounted to the grilles via aluminum pods offset from the 2.5” to prevent interference, and will be on-axis.

- the single sealed 15” subwoofer speaks for itself. 3.25 ohms will spare the electrical system from too much abuse, and the 28mm of 1 way excursion will allow for ample and clean output without the need to be at full output all of the time.

- the HD 1200/1 will be in the driver rear panel, mounted via starboard and mounted in place of the roadside tools. The xd 800/8v2 will be in the passenger panel mounted in the same fashion, allowing for an easy point to tap factory speaker wire for the front and rear doors. Speed wire (9-wire) will power the dash/tweeter locations, as I will need to run wire for tweeters and want to keep it simple. Understand 18awg is more than adequate for 4ohm speakers up to 75-100 watts assuming runs under 16ft or so. Keeping clean and concise wire runs are the key to a professional looking install.

- The Xd 800/8v2 will be all-pass on all 8 channels with the twk-88 handling all processing, where it will be the established 3-way active front stage and rear fill using the factory JBL rears with a LPF at 400hz.

Boring to some I’m sure, but I like to think of myself as an SQ enthusiast.

 

I'm excited to see your build. What pods are you using for your gb15s? I have some widebands in PVC caps temporarily, which im happy with sound wise, but now I'm debating if I want to mold something to the A pillars or some better looking pods.

 

Deadening. Cost? Worth it? What would you do different next time?

 

I will be using valicar-stuggart, a one man operation that has an eBay presence (if the machining is right, that’s all that matters). I will post pics soon as they arrive from Germany in the next few days.

deadening…. It’s worth the money, not sure about the labor….car to car results vary, but in terms of bass vibrations and overall “tin can” sound it makes a BIG difference. But that only applies to the foil backed butyl, then you get into mass loaded vinyl and foam. I’ve never been one to go nuclear, but I would say it pays off. It’s critical to hit the right areas, which I will demonstrate and explain with my next round of pictures. To conclude I will say this: other than my 996, any luxury car I owned happened to have more deadening from the factory, and in turn had a quieter cabin (i.e. a4, s4, e46, etc), as well as any before/after comparisons I had when deadening AFTER an install lending to the same conclusion (which sucks going back into the car a second time as an FYI).

The one thing I would have done different is buying a 3rd row vehicle. From what I’ve seen, it would have provided a cavity to tuck all the gear into rather than hodgepodge them into panels (I’m still not sure the HD will tuck on the drivers side, may be defaulted to a rear seat mount hidden by the 15” enclosure).

 

Welcome!

 

All,

Thanks for the encouragement, I thought I would tease the rear amp rack while working on the lower interior (and more exciting updates).

 

Another boring update:

Started tucking wires for the front stage. Made sure to leave slack for future modification (pillar mount etc.) and tried to follow the profile of the harnesses. Tucking was the name of the game, and deadening coverage went well.

strangely enough, I had quite the unique snafu in the dash corners as the audiofrogs would fit the driver side but not the passenger…… yea I checked that I used the right tabs, the dash locations ARE NOT symmetrical under close inspection of the grilles next to one another. This seemed a little lazy on Toyota, or perhaps a defect in mine (not sure how if the grilles are different, but mounting holes may be off alignment?).

most of all I made sure to run wire carefully so that the only issues I may run into is gear wearing out rather than shorts/install problems.

 

I found this out the hard way. I mounted my speaker pods to the grills... but I didn't measure the distance to the windshield & A-pillar, I only used the under side of the grill as a reference point. Long story short, my right speaker is an inch or two farther away from the windshield than the left speaker is to the windshield. I suspect some of the cancellation/summing issues I see in REW might be related (the steering wheel/dash contour probably doesn't help either).

Will you be tuning with REW? I'd love to hear about your experience with the gs25s in the dash and the gb15s a bit more on axis.

 

Let's see how you wire those rear door speakers....planning on home run wiring to the location?

 

I will not be running wire to the rear doors, as rear fill will not require much power. They will be tapped off of the harness from the factory amp.

 

Change of plans:

I threw the hd1200/1 and xd800/8 into my wife’s 2018 rav4, because her Kenwood 5 channel was …. Meh shall we say? Wires still loose and need to be bundled/tucked, but not bad for scrap starboard and existing wiring taps (did it before we were married, I wasn’t as concerned with the little details lololol). So now it will be (2) sx2 800.4 amplifiers and an elite one. This gives me 200+ per channel for dynamic range, and over roughly 1700 @ 3.25 ohms for (2) stereo integrity 15s (yeah, things are getting out of hand).

waiting on the Molle rack from cali bear to mount everything (straying from the oem+ a bit, but hey the platform is right for a strong build). The Phoenix gold amplifiers I chose, for those who aren’t farmiliar, are some of the best sounding mobile amplifiers available (in my, any many others, humble opinion). You can look up the elite for yourself, and the sx2 line is designed by the legendary Steve mantz.

 

I ran some phoenix gold amps (500.2 and something else) in my setup back in like 2002. Was just a stereo in a 1990 Toyota extra cab pickup. Always liked their gear. Looking forward to see this build come to fruition.

 

That would most likely be the Tantrum line, excellent sound quality and underrated (cheaters).

Thanks again to everyone following, sorry for the delays but as you know the project has evolved considerably. I am still waiting on CaliRaisedLED to send the Molle rack, but will have updated deadening photos coming (weather).

on a side note: I have added it up, and I will have amassed an additional 500lbs in carriage weight. In looking for power options, things will be tough regarding ecu tuning for forced induction. I doubt anyone will have much info, but has anyone seen a forced induction 20+ 4Runner with a custom file? I know of magneson, but would like a tuning suite to allow for some pressurized magic…..

 

Finally someone with a little taste in car audio!
Phoenix Gold is such a good company. I bought a used one with a blown channel and they replaced the circuit boards for free.

 

it’s like the saying “all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon”. Like any company, PG had bad years. However, the ones they did right will live on as some of the best equipment ever made.

Steve Mantz is a total nut if you ever talk to him (into some weird Scientology crap) but outside of aliens and photon beams he is truly the godfather of class D SQ (I kid you not, a real conversation via phone call with the man straight out of a South Park episode). It’s truly a shame AAMP sold them, the new owners really took them down the Alpine/Best Buy black hole of death.

 

Ya just like Soundstream. I had a dealer near me in the 90’s. Real good equipment, I was surprised to see a headunit cd player made by them. Now I realize it’s junk doesn’t pull in stations and the cd/dvd broke in a short while.

 

Teaser and update:



Super behind on the project, focused on flat panels as bends typically prevent issues.

tidying up the dash as I type this, hoping to drop carpet tonight and get on fabrication of distribution rack and dsp mount (under each seat respectively).

hoping that cali raised delivers on the 4 week lead time despite the press I’m reading, other than that all is in and it’s my laziness preventing progress.

 

Appreciate you sharing your build! Do you have a preference on sound dampening brands?

 

I have recommendations of what I don’t like….

from a performance standpoint, without getting too into the weeds they are all close. Foil backed butyl is just that, with quality control and thickness being the variation.

the biggest detractor from certain brands was the fumes. Kilmat made my head pound, ballistic was good to work with but I bought it more because of my supply chain than me seeking them out. Any major producer should have a solid product offering (just verify like for like).

 

Daily teaser, I haven’t slowed just simply at the mercy of suppliers

 

Thought I’d bring this to the group.

tonight I finish power and signal, and wanted input on which direction to go.

In one corner, I have a Phoenix gold ti3 1600.6. The powerhouse doubles all speaker rating for great dynamics and the footprint mirrors the elite.

on the other hand I could do a dual mono configuration allowing for jl a/b goodness, bridged so the door woofers get 150w to liven up.

3 way active front stage, and the choice is powerhouse sq class D or silky and proven class a/b with less juice.

 

Nightly update since I’m blacklisted now.

headliner going in as I type.

 

Which dash kit is that? I’ve been looking around at them for future use and that looks like a close match to OEM metallic charcoal/black in my ORP

 

it’s the metra kit, not the best of quality but it got the job done. I should have spent more time looking at options.

 

That interior is sure a head-turner

 

unfortunately 90% of the work is really boring to see. I’m really excited to post some coming updates as my final parts come in.

 

I just noticed the good visual on the rear sunroof drains as well. I’m in the middle of an audio upgrade too although not near as involved as yours.
Can’t wait to see it come together!

 

anything good? I noticed you’re in southeast pa, anywhere near doylestown?