Westminster Client Upgrades Tacoma Audio System

A repeat client from Westminster, Maryland, came to Westminster Speed & Sound looking to upgrade the audio system in his 2014 Toyota Tacoma. The truck already had the Display Audio touchscreen radio installed, so there was no reason to change that out. After looking over the truck with the client and spending time talking about his goals for the upgrades, we went in the soundroom with him and listened to equipment that we thought would be a good fit for him. When all of that was finished, we worked up a proposal that we thought best fit his needs. He liked our idea, so we set an installation appointment.

Audison Processor Massages Factory Audio Signal

Since this Tacoma had a full featured factory stereo, there was no reason to remove it.

The Audison processor lets us not only tailor the factory signal, but also tune the overall system sound.

The factory radio would work great as the basis for a wonderful-sounding stereo while keeping the factory appearance in the dash, so we left it alone and installed an Audison Bit 10 processor to the speaker outputs of the Toyota factory radio.

The Audison device gives us many benefits. First, it allows us to de-equalize the signal coming out of the Toyota radio. Many carmakers add an equalization circuit in a feeble attempt to make inexpensive speakers sound better. Unfortunately, when you install upgraded equipment in the vehicle, the equalization added by Toyota negatively colors the sound. The Bit 10 solves this issue. Second, it gives us five discrete output channels, allowing us to have dedicated amplifier channels for each of the new speakers. Independent adjustments for output level, crossover settings, 31 bands of equalization and digital delay are included for every speaker. In the hands of a qualified tuner, the results can be extraordinary.  We mounted the Audison processor securely, hidden underneath one of the front seats.

Full System Power From JL Audio Amplifier

Now the signal travels to the JL Audio XD700/5v2 amplifier, which is tasked with running the front speakers and the subwoofers. Each of the four front speakers gets 75 watts per channel while the subwoofers get 300 watts of honest power. We love this amplifier for its combination of great power, small footprint and incredible accuracy. We mounted it securely mounted, hidden underneath the other front seat.

Audiofrog Speakers

The anemic factory speakers sounded dull and lifeless.

The Audiofrog tweeter fit perfectly in the factory door location.

Our fabrication department machined custom adapter plates to fit the round speakers into the oval factory holes.

Once our technicians were finished with the speaker installation it was impossible to tell any work was done, until the system is turned on.

When it came time to choose front speakers, the client liked the Audiofrog GS series, one of our best-selling speaker models. We used their GS60 6.5” woofer in the front doors and mounted them on a custom-machined composite speaker mount. We mounted a set of our closed cell FAST rings on the front side of the woofer to seal the speaker to the door panel, whih improves midbass output. We mounted the GS10 1” tweeter securely in the factory tweeter location at the top of the door, using the supplied Audiofrog speaker-mounting adapter.

Stealthbox Offers Lots Of Bass In A Tiny Space

As you can see the space taken up by the JL Audio Stealthbox was minimal. The client gets lots of bass and looses very little storage.

It is hard to believe such a small enclosure produces so much bass!

The two JL Audio subwoofers are not only loud, but they also sound great!

For the low end reproduction in this system, it was a no-brainer to go back to JL Audio, since they make a Stealthbox for this vehicle that houses two of their 10W1v3-4ohm 10” subwoofers in a fiberglass enclosure that fits perfectly behind the rear seat on the passenger side. When you factory in the combination of fast, hard-hitting bass with no loss of interior space, what’s not to like?

Stock Rear Speakers For Rear Seat Passengers

We left the factory rear speakers in the vehicle, running off the rear speaker outputs of the Toyota radio, in case the need should ever arise to have sound for rear seat passengers.

Final Tuning Makes All The Difference

Once the system was completely installed, our team hooked up a laptop and began fine-tuning the Bit 10 processor, extracting every last ounce of sound quality out of the system. And wow, did it work! This vehicle sounded incredible. The stereo system had great output and the sound staged across the top of the dash as though you were sitting in the studio, listening to your favorite artists record their next album.

Client Loved His Tacoma Audio Upgrades

When the client came to pick up the vehicle, he loved the fit and finish of the installation, and nodded his head in approval when we cranked it up for the first time.

Contact The Audio Experts At Westminster Speed & Sound Today

When you are ready to upgrade the audio system in your vehicle, we invite you to stop by Westminster Speed & Sound in Westminster, Maryland. Let us put our decades of experience to work for you, designing and building the audio system you have always wanted.

You can also contact us here for more information about any of our products and services.