WHY?
This customer contacted us wanting to improve the bass in her truck, even though her Tacoma came with the Premium JBL factory audio system. When the truck pulled up to the shop and we saw that the license plate read “DUBST3P,” it was clear that we needed to deliver with the bass on this build!
If you have the factory Toyota JBL audio system and you were thinking that it sounded sub-par, you are definitely not alone!
During the free consultation, our System Designer, Don, was able to suggest the products that would serve our customer and meet all their needs.
WHAT?
Added a mono amplifier with a bass knob – We used the JL Audio XD600/1v2 to power the subwoofers in this setup. This is one of our go-to amplifiers for a few different reasons. The XD amps are ultra-compact, we can hide these amp anywhere. We were able to hide the amplifier under the front passenger seat on this build. The XD amps also sound fantastic and they are extremely reliable. The current JL Audio XD/v2 amplifiers have been current models since 2014 because of their incredible reliability.
As we do with almost every subwoofer we add to a system, we installed an adjustable bass knob. This provides independent level control for the subwoofer, that way you’re not having to turn up or down the bass on your factory radio to adjust your subwoofer.
Built a custom subwoofer enclosure to fit behind the rear seat – While there are pre-built subwoofer enclosures made for this model Tacoma, we wanted to ensure that we added enough bass to satisfy our customer’s listening preferences. Most of the pre-built options for this truck only include a single subwoofer, and often the sub is a slim subwoofer. This customer listened to a lot of music with heavy bass notes, and a slim sub can struggle to hit those notes effectively at times.
We opted to use a pair of JL Audio 10W1v3 subwoofers because they are a traditional style subwoofer and we felt like they would hit those heavy drops more effectively. The JL Audio W1 also needs very little airspace to perform optimally, thus making it an ideal subwoofer for behind truck seats. Lastly, this subwoofer is built to vent from the sides, rather than from the back of the magnet. This is important because we can now build the enclosure and mount the subwoofers with the magnets touching the back wall of the box, without it prohibiting the subwoofers performance at all. Most subwoofers need space to breath behind the magnet, so this design is very unique and makes the W1 particularly versatile.
In order to have enough space for the new enclosure, both of the plastic panels were removed from behind the seat, as well as the factory JBL subwoofer. We also had to relocated the factory JBL amplifier in order to use the entire bottom portion of the back wall for the enclosure. You can see the factory amplifier in the photos, it was previously located at the bottom of that back wall behind the seat. Lastly, you can see the indentions on the backside of the enclosure, this is so we did not have to permanently modify the Tacoma. If you look at the photo of the back wall without the enclosure in the vehicle, you can see the metal factory mounting points for the plastic rear wall panels. This is just one of those small things that takes a little longer; however, we never want to permanently modify a vehicle if possible.
HOW?
Elevated Audio is known first and foremost for our customer’s overall experience from beginning to end. Winning the North American 2018-2019 Customer Choice Award in the 12-volt industry-validated our commitment to provide trusted interactions between our store in Denver and our customers.
Here’s how we performed the installation.
WIRING
The signal was found at the factory JBL amplifier. We did not replace the radio in this vehicle because it does not make any sense to do so, it already has all functionality an aftermarket unit would have. The radio is where we soldered in our connections for the signal to the amplifier.
Power is supplied to the amplifiers utilizing our four gauge pure copper wiring. Never use copper clad aluminum (CCA) if you want the best current flow!
MOUNTING AMPLIFIERS
At Elevated Audio, we build amplifier plates that mount to factory bolts on the chassis, and we attach our amplifiers to those plates. The JL Audio mono amplifier was mounted flat to the floor without blocking the vent. These XD amps are small enough to fit under front seats without getting kicked by rear seat passengers.
All wiring is wrapped in Tesa tape for a factory look and feel. The wiring routes in factory channels throughout the vehicle and is not merely “tucked” under panels, which always find a way to wiggle out after a few months. It’s our goal to make it hard to differentiate factory wiring from aftermarket.
CALIBRATING THE AMPLIFIERS
Amplifiers are useless unless set up correctly. Elevated Audio always sets the gains of our amplifiers by using an oscilloscope. This tool allows us to read the clipping point and set the amplifier to play up to that point but never beyond it, protecting the entire system and your ears!
LEVEL CONTROLLER
The JL Audio HD RLC level control knob was flush mounted into one of the factory “blanks” on the dash. We love to use the factory plastic blanks to mount the bass knobs, it makes them looks factory installed.
SUBWOOFERS
We used a pair of the JL Audio 10” W1v3 subwoofers. As described previously, they are extremely versatile and they still provide a big punch for such a small sub.
SOUND DEADENING
While you’re performing any upgrade to your sound, it is crucial to slow down the transfer of energy throughout the back wall since we will be adding a substantial amount of bass. At Elevated Audio, we use Sound Shield premium sound deadening to achieve both results. We used 11 square-feet of Sound Shield on the back wall and it was the perfect amount to provide full coverage.
THE RESULT!
We strive for a great experience in-house and after the sale. We are happy to know there is one more person on the road enjoying their morning commute!
This customer had the biggest smile on her face when she heard the subs for the first time! We definitely met her expectations in terms of output, which was really the main objective on this build. She came in wanting DUBST3P bass, and we delivered it!
Please contact us for your own Tacoma system design consultation because, while this is an fantastic setup, it may not be what you need. We tailor each build to our customer’s needs and expectations, so we must build something special just for you.
Music. It’s What Moves Us.
-Elevated Audio
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