tC stock stereo system
 

So i recently got my Scion and i noticed that the speakers dont go loud at all even when cranked to the max... is that because of the head unit or do the speakers just suck?
Will replacing just the speakers and keeping the head unit make it loud again? or should i change head unit too?

did you try toggling the SSP to 'feel'

Or changing it to xB mode?

yes but still even at 63 its not loud enough...!

I'm still running my stock HU (for now). I have my set for xB and feel. Sounds OK to me and I usually don't turn it up past 30.

If you didn't get the upgrade (which for 400 is a huge rip off anyway) from the dealer I would take them out and throw them in the trash. I replaced my speakers and head unit within 2 days of purchasing my car, and when I took the stock speakers out they looked like they might as well have been made with rice paper.

^Like the dash? :P

lol!! yeah thats true, they arent any good at all... i just gotta find a deck that is that fat, cuz the Scion deck is like twice as large as the normal ones..

I figured they would be decent with them being Pioneer, then again all of my Pioneer decks were the "Premier" or whatever edition that is.

the deck is crap, the stock speakers esp. the fronts are pretty good really.

yea it kinda sucks my 99 camry sounded better with the 6x9's in the back. i play mine around 45 and the bass is on like -3 and the highs kinda get distorted.

Go to the doctor right away and get your hearing checked.
If it ain't loud enough at 63, something is seriously wrong with your hearing! :P

highest i've gone with mine is 45 and it's pretty damn loud! the stock system in the car is pretty decent though

it's the headunit.

the stock speakers are great.

Before i got my new HU, i turned up my stocker to MAX a couple times... it was loud, but let me just say that my Panasonic gets that loud with the volume at half or below....
I don't know for sure but if i had to guess i'd say when Scion andPpioneer designed the HU, they included a built-in distortion limiter. it makes sense... when my EQ was flat and volume MAXed,
there was no distortion, but when my Panasonic is at half and louder than my stock, there is. that's just my personal opinion.

If you think the tCs system is crap as stock, you should sit in some of the American cars. The tC has a great sound system off the lot. It's not meant for pounding bass and super crisp highs... it's mean to be an all around great stereo for everyone. So it's average in quality at most levels but good for an OEM one.

I think the upgraded speakers and sound system are fine and dandy, but for around 400 dollars you can put equally good or better speakers and new HU in and have a variety of options.

And thug, you don't have to buy a new HU thats just as tall as the stock HU, it will just come with another cubby hole below it. Thats what mine has and I use that one more than the one in front of the shifter.

WHAAT? COULD YOU PLEASE SPEAK INTO MY GOOD EAR?

Completely agree. And a new HU isn't going to help much to make it louder or more clear, because it's the internal amps in HUs (stock or aftermarket) that suck.

Get an aftermarket amp with a high-pass filter ~80Hz and the stock speakers will sound MUCH better and play louder. Even if you use the stock HU with an LOC and the amp only does 25W x2 @ 4 Ohms, the stock speakers will play louder and cleaner than when given a full-range signal going through a HU amp.

I had planned on swapping out the deck and the speakers because I wanted better sound quality. As soon as I replaced the deck, I noticed a huge improvement in regards to sound quality. It's good enough that I haven't even swapped out the speakers yet. A more powerful deck will make a big difference in the sound quality

that's exactly what i did. now, though, i'm wanting even more sound quality haha. oh well, i see an eD component set and amp in my future at some point.

if my shizzle was cranked up to 63, my ears might be bleeding... maybe you need to clean the wax outta your ears...

I don't know if the HU's have changed much as far as how they process sound but I do remember that when I first got my '05 I was amazed at how BAD it sounded. I was like 'Scion Sound Processing'...are you kidding me?? Those three settings were a complete joke. It sounded muzzled, muffled, and like it was coming from a closed room.

The stock speakers aren't the problem. They can handle some juice. I swapped out the HU for a higher grade Sony with 3 digital sound quality settings. Now it sounds great. Really clear highs, and good bottom end thanks to the subs.

Scion may have improved them over the past couple years but the stereo in the '05s SUCKED. A different HU will fix that.

Actually, and much to my surprise, the Mach 3 system that was available in the previous generation Mustang was quite an amazing system.

Which is cheaper? :P

Agreed. I had a '95 mustang with bose 6 speaker from factory and it sounded great. Just as good as what I have in my tC now.

i'll be able to put my input on the factory stuff in a few days. i figured the speakers would sound good with them being pioneer, but the stock 6" sub will prob not be that good.

We also have an '04 F150 with stock stereo system and it sounds great, a lot better than the tC. I just put a 10" sub in the tC and that took care of it. I love having a hatch for sound quality reasons, and my next car will be a hatch.

Which what? It seems you're asking whether a HU, speakers or amp is less expensive? Well, that depends on which brand & model of which component you're comparing. You can find example of all three at <$100, but also at >$1,000.

Your question can't be answered unless you're more specific, but I think you already know that one isn't necessarily cheaper than the other.

So; is anyone here going to sell off their stock HU, and upgrade to something new and more powerful?

i've already got a panasonic double din dvd/cd player on its way to my house. and i'm not going to lie for a stock system it sounds pretty good, even though the EQ is a bit unique with the pioneer headunit. but for a 6" stock sub its got some sound to it.

I'm looking for a T1806 or T1808, if anyone is pulling their factory HU out, for a new one.

If your turning it up all the way and still _____ing that it aint loud enough, either you need to go have your hearing checked, or you need to pony up the money for aftermarket deck and speakers.

hold down the ssp button and with the volume change it to xa and put it on feel......big difference

xB mode rocks!

Yeah, I'd say change the mode and change it to "feel"

When I rocked my Pioneer HU, i had the volume set at 25 mostly. I can't even imagine 63. lol

65??....I can't go over 35 w/o it being TOO loud...lol...

Yea dude u must be going DEAF!!!!!!...go to the Doc.

Yes the "xB setting" is SICK!....

except my rear driver speaker is popping now...Grrrrrrrrrrrr

all speakers are good and can be plenty loud enough.... it just matters how much power is going to it... if you have your sock hu and you dont like how loud it is you are going to need an amp and then your probably going to blow you stock speakers and you will get new more expensive speakers but use the same old amp and it will sound just as loud........... all it is is power and how much power the speakers can take before the go *pop*

Before making any head unit or speaker purchases, do the SSP trick stated above. The xA or xB settings are much better in my opinion. The tC setting puts out little sound in the back speakers. Also, when you change the SSP, MAX will be much louder. It is in mine. :P

press and hold SSP till it says Tc... turn the volume knob till it says xB. Let it set... Then press the SSP till it says FEEL. Treble to 4... Bass to 5 (pending on your music).... crank that it to 45-50 your golden


anything above you'll blow your tweeters