Well recently my 2007 TC RS 3.0 was struck by a hit and run driver and deemed a total loss by progressive. I had a Pioneer AVH-P3100DVD touch screen head unit in it, Alpine S-Series 6.5 Components up front, Alpine S-Series 6.5 coaxs in the back powered by a rockford fosgate 4 channel 50Watt amp plus a 1000/300 Watt Kenwood Class D amp and JL Audio 10W1V2-4 sub in a sealed box and high end power and speaker wires. Not a bad sounding system, good power, very clear, nice bass.

So this past week I purchased a 2012 Scion TC in white, car had the fog lights, rear spoiler, premium pioneer stereo system, dealer tinted windows, floor mats cargo mats. Very happy with the car. I have been researching and trying to decide on how I was going to proceed with upgrading the stereo. The front speakers where and issue as far as what to do about upgrading them to handle the power of the amp. Then secondly was what brand and speakers to go with. I really couldn't decide and everything in a 3 way component was expensive and nothing came with 6x9 and I wasn't sure of what adapter I could use if changing the bottom 6x9 speaker out. I researched the web and the only thing I could find was complete upgrade kit for the entire system which was expensive. I also found the speaker sizes for the front and that they are 2 ohm, no information on sensitivity and max watt or continuous rms power ratings. A guy at the dealership that is into car audio said the speakers in the car were excellent and can handle the amp I have with no problem and that a friend of his has one hooked up.

The other thing I was concerned about was using the premium pioneer head unit vs my 31000 from my old TC. The Premium pioneer has RCA outs for front and rear and the sub, hd radio, blue tooth, the steering controls and all hooked up but I was unsure about it's DSP processor modes "Natural, Hear, Feel" and TC settings. Seems kinda cheesy, while my other has the Equalizer. The one thing I noticed about the premium head unit was that it was much faster between screens and pulling up the information from my IPOD, plus my old unit would require a steering wheel control integration unit and did not have blue tooth.

So finally after some consideration I decided to head to Digital Audio in my area. I kept the pioneer premium head unit and the factory speakers told the installer to hook the rockford fosgate 50x4 to the speaker and then hook up my sub. Decided to listen to it and see if the speakers could handle the amp and how the head unit would sound with the sub added and it's DSP modes.

After getting everything hooked up to include my PAC LC1 Sub woofer control the installer called me back into the shop. He said first off he was amazed with the speakers, they handled every bit of what the amp was sending to them with out a breaking up, bottoming, popping or anything, the external amp gave them a ton of power and the headroom made them sound incredible. He said if it was his car he wouldn't waste money replacing them. Then with the JL Audio sub hooked up really made a huge difference. He said the head unit dsp modes were really good and that it was tuned perfectly for the car and that it would be a waste of money to change it out unless I just had to have one with an equalizer.

After testing with different types of music from Rock, Trance, Rap, Dub Step I have to say I totally agree with my installer. The factory speakers CRANK with an external amp hooked to them and with the doors open all the neighbors can hear it. The JL sub woofer set properly brings up the bottom end on bass and I am completely amazed with the entire setup. I cannot believe how loud I can crank this thing and it's honestly obnoxiously loud and clear and I could not listen to it at those levels very long that's for certain.

So for now I'm completely happy with the setup. I may change out the JL 10W1V2-4 for a 10W3 and a ported box but that will be a bit down the road and may go back to have them put one in the car so I can hear the difference. It was the only recommendation the installer had but to be honest my 10W1V2 in the sealed box sounds excellent.

So if you have a 2012 TC and are wondering if that Pioneer Premium Stereo is good, trust me it is. 2nd if you are wondering about the factory 3 way component speakers and rears being able to hold power, they will with no problem. I don't think I would push them beyond 50 though which really is plenty. Bang for the buck if you got a scion with the Premium stereo, it doesn't take much to upgrade it to make it into a massive system, definitely do it! If you have more money JL Audio also now has a custom box that fits as well.

 

UPDATE: Upgraded the sub in the rear to a JL10W3V3 - 4 Ohm, Ported Box and Pushing it with 300 Watts RMS @ 4ohm. Incredible, looking to upgrade the kenwood amp to either an Alpine MRX-55, Kicker 750.1 or possibly a JL 500/1v2 Slash series.

I'm kinda of leaning towards the alpine as it's 350 watts @ 4ohms which is in the safe range for the sub according to the specs on JL Audio's website plus shouldn't tax the electrical system too much, don't want to deal with alternator and battery issues.

Any thoughts on the amp choice would be appreciated.

 

What's your budget for the sub amp?

Aside from that I plan on upgrading my sound system in my car. I chose to get the standard audio because I knew I would be ripping everything out.

Like you said though, 3-way component sets are expensive. You do have to get custom baffles made to accomidate the 6 1/2" vs the 6x9.

I plan on doing a full Hertz install. Hertz HSK 163's. Hertz HDP 5 (Full range Class D 5 channel amp) and a Hertz HX250 10" sub. Going to keep the stock HU with a audio processor, the Audison Bit.10D. Should sound really really good and get stupidly loud and since it's a full range class D amp the amp won't tax the electrical for the car to much at all. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

Budget on the amp purchase would be $200-$300. One thing I noticed about my Kenwood Cass D KAC8104D is that the SN is arounnd 80db, better amps seem to have 90 and above. Also the kenwood it is priced very inexpensively... Not sure sound quality wise if I would notice a big difference in upgrading to a newer/better amp. Since I am selling my JL10W1 sub and the kenwood amp will have some money towards upgrading to a better amp.

The Kenwoods putting out 300watts @ 4 ohms to the JL10W3V3 in a ported box and seems to be plenty of power, no complaints there even though the sub is rated to handle more. The JL 500/1 seems like it would be a good bet but it's rated at the Peak 500 watts rms of what the sub is rated to handle and I don't want lights diming at night due to amp draw or issues with the alternator/battery.

So basically I'm looking at several options that will run in the 350 - 400 watts @ 4 ohms to the sub yet will provide clean bass and be an improvement to the kenwood I'm running now and not break the bank.

The new Alpine MRX-55 is rated 350 watts @ 4 ohms and may be a ogod choice, amazon sells it for $240. If the JL 500/1 (used) or another amp would be that much better and not too much more cash then it would be worth the stretch. So again looking for insight, opinions, thoughts on the matter.

Thanks

 

That's a pretty good budget to work on. You can buy some quality amps for that price. Especially if you buy them online.

In car audio though, it's always great to have overhead. What I mean is that even though your sub calls for X amount of RMS you could put a 1000 watt amp on it. You just have to know how to adjust your gain. If you set it properly you won't have to worry at all about blowing anything. It'll be less strain on your amp, and electrical too.

Then again though, more watts = more money. So. But just for future reference.

Anyways, here are some decent choices:

Soundsteam seems somewhat decently regarded in the car audio community.
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-7766-rub...amplifier.aspx

Zapco is one of the best amp manufacturers in the industry
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-6057-i-6...bass-****.aspx

Sundown Audio is nothing but great quality power.
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9255-saz...amplifier.aspx

Boston Acoustics is excellent as well
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-8611-gta...amplifier.aspx

Now I've never used Cadence. I do remember about 2-3 years ago whenever I first started looking around into choices for amplifiers for my Mazda that a ton of people referred me to use Cadence. Budget quality amps that put out decent amount of power.
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-8330-fxa...amplifier.aspx

Never used Hifonics stuff either. Never really read anything about them saying they are just complete trash. May be an option
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9395-brz...amplifier.aspx

I've been told MB Quart isn't good as what it use to be in terms of quality and general product. They still are better then your budget BS brands (Audiobahn, Boss, etc)
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-8805-onx...amplifier.aspx

And IMO the best bang for your buck. You could bridge this two channel. It'll put out 600 watts, but like I said, that's fine. As long as you adjust your gain properly and do NOT treat it like a volume ****, you can use this amp all day long. The extra overhead will be welcomed. And I can almost imagine that W3V3 will be able to handle it all day long anyways. These have been getting a lot of praise for their extremely small footprint, power output, quality, and price!
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-10137-p6...amplifier.aspx

And then of course the JL Amp you mentioned would be a good choice too. Nothing wrong with them other then they are way to expensive and they definitely use their name to sell. But that's just me. Haha.

Hopefully this'll help some!

 

 

Found some reading on the Boston Acoustics, from what I read the sound quality is excellent on their amps and I'm really leaning toward the Boston Acoustics GTA-1000M which I found online at a reputable place for $228 ship which is an excellent price compared to other sites.

Will keep you posted on results.

 

You can not go wrong in the slightest bit by going with Boston Acoustics. They make phenomenal car audio equipment. Their amps, components, and subwoofers are all highly regarded.

I've owned a set of their highest end components, the Boston SPZ60. Those are 1200$ for a set of components. They sound SWEET.

Their amps are great and the G5 subwoofers are really really good SQL woofers. You will be making a great choice.

I warn you though, recently Boston Acoustics pulled out of the 12volt industry. More specifically the car audio realm. They are focusing on Home Audio and car systems that come from the manufacturers. So warranty may be a pain in the butt. I highly doubt you will never have any issues to even use the warranty though. So I definitely wouldn't let it detour my decision on purchasing.

 

Appreciate the additional information. At $228 for the amp I'm not too concerned about the warranty, I have good wiring that was expensive and professionally installed so I should be good there. After connecting it up I will be taking the car to Digital audio to have them assist with setting it up and tuning it as they do this every day and can get it much closer than I can for certain and so far they have done incredible work on the two systems I have had them install. After they finish installing they have me sit in the car listen to the system, then brief me on the amp setting and why they are set as they are and what little adjustments I might want to make based on preference, both times I have not changed anything because it sounded excellent just as they installed and set it up.

Last concern is power draw on the Scion electrical system, I really don't want to get into battery or alternator issues. The amp has 3 35a fuses on the back and is rated 600 watts at 4 ohms but of course we'll be dialing that back probably a bit and most the time I have my gain controller set at about 1/2 way. I'm not one to have the subwoofer cranked to the point it drowns out the door and rear speakers (which are powered by a 4 channel 50 watt Rockford Fosgate Punch Amp (latest model). Let me know if you think I'll be fine, safe in this regards.

Thanks.

 

You will be fine. You shouldn't have to worry in the slightest bit about electrical issues. You aren't feeding nearly enough power to really tax it like other bassheads do. Plus it's a Class D which is great for power. Class A/B monoblocks on the other hand really tax a electrical system as they aren't nearly as efficient.

Plus the 500 watts RMS is probably a 14.4v rating. I doubt you'll even get that with stock battery/alternator. Maybe while your really hauling ___ down the road but I doubt it. So the power will be even less then that. And as long as the set the gain with a oscilioscope, you will be fine. I bet your setup is going to sound killer. I am very pleasently surprised at how good the stock audio is inside the car.

I'm planning, thanks to you, on doing the stealthbox with the W3. I didn't know they had one. :D

Edit: And yeah I agree, for 228$ I wouldn't worry about warranty stuff either.

 

Change in plans...

Came across a JL 500/1 in the origional box and bubble wrap, manuals, sn and receipt of purchase by the origional owner locally. Had it in his car for 6 months before an accident and never installed it in the new car and has been in the box ever since. Sent me photo's of the amp and it's flawless, not one scrach anywhere that I can see from the large detailed photos he sent me. He wanted 250 for it and I told him I was considering it vs a brand new 1000 watt alpine or Boston Acoustics and he said he would let me have it for 150. So I'm picking it up this evening. Call the stereo installation place where I have my equipment done and he said the boston and alpine were excellent but to get the JL they last forever and are super clean, powerful and tunable. So for 150 I'm in. Will let you know my thoughts.

 

Can't beat that. Sounds like a hell of a deal. Let me know what you think!

 

Well reporting back, I got the JL 500/1 amp connected and I'm totally blown away. The sub had no issues taking the power from the amp but the car did! Too much bass and totally drowned out the door speakers even with the Rockford Punch 400-4 connected to them! We ended up setting he JL 500/1 gain between the 1/2 and 3/4 mark and then set my remote bass control **** on half. Half is perfect on the control **** for most music I listen to and allows me to go up and down from that point.

I cannot believe how clean, clear, deep, and how hard the sub hits with the JL 500/1, it amazing. I probably could have gotten away with a JL 250/1 due to the hatchback and size of the car but at 150 for a pristine NOT one scratch JL 500/1 I'm thrilled.

The amp runs very cool to the touch even at high vol for a good period of time, no issues with lights dimming or anything with the way I have it setup. I couldn't be happier. Installer said the amp looked like it had hardly been used at all and that I got a killer deal on it.

Just to be on the safe side I may replace the JLW3 with a JLW6. Needless to say I'm sold on JL!

 

Photo's of completed installation.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78967574@N02/7234790618/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78967574@N02/7234789256/

 

Yeah man for $150 that is more then a steal. Great job. I'm glad you like it. :-)

Edit: Install looks great too!

 

Hi....purchased the scion tc yesterday. Got iPhone music to play on pioneer
radio. Tried to play an audio app..played for a few seconds then switched to iPhone music...how do I get audio apps to play. It is not the touch screen radio.

 

Not following you on the audio app. What application, are you trying to do a music video from the iphone to the radio or something like pandora from the iphone to the car? Did you try the usb cable and the 3.5 mm aux cable to see if it would work with either one? I know some head units to play multimedia content require a special cable that has both usb and 3.5 aux cable included. Which head unit to you have, the base pioneer unit or the premium pioneer unit with the larger touch screen? Is there any information in your owners manual for the stereo that may give you some clues?

 

Update, Still working on installation of Stinger RoadKill Extreme sound deadening, I'm amazed at the difference it makes when taping on the panels! While I had the panels off I decided to upgrade the rear 6.5 speakers. Tough decision after reading a ton of review and getting opinions. I was going to go with Alpine SPR-60 Coaxial which are really nice and on sale on amazon in the 100 dollar range. My local installation shop got in a shipment of Hertz Audio Speakers and after listening to both the Alpines and the Hertz the Hertz speakers won hands down. The normally run 130-150 online plus shipping, the shop had them on sale for $129 and gave them to me for $99.00 out the door. Can't wait to get the car finished so I can hear them. Was discussing possibly either buying a 3 way setup of Hertz matching speakers for the front or maybe just changing out the tweeter for a hertz tweeter in the stock 3 way setup to match the rear co-ax. I know some will say having tweets in the rear mess with the sound stage but if you have the gain on them down or fader adjusted properly it's not that big of a deal. I have always liked having a set of coaxials in the back. (stock speakers have no tweeter just 6.5 mid base).

 

Oh man. You did the right choice. Hertz/Audison is some of, if not the, most reputable companies in car audio today. They make absolutely phenomenal car audio gear. You definitely didn't go wrong with your choice.

It does mess with sound stage but like you said, fade them up if it becomes a problem. No big deal. If you have people who ride in the back, it's good to have a rear fill. And on the back too, they are 6.5's but I believe they are full-range. They may not have a tweeter but they put more then just lower bass frequencies.

Hertz makes a beautiful 3-way Hi-Energy set that I am putting my front stage of my car. HSK 163's. They run about $799 though but they are well worth it if you can afford it. Give them plenty of power you will have one hell of a system.

Looking forward to your progress!

 

Yea I looked at the High Energy Series, SUPER nice. I still could not believe how much better the Hertz ECX 165's sounded over the Alpine R's. I'm thinking about replacing the front with there 3 ways, but they are 1" tweet, 4" mid, 6.5 Mid Bass. I was hoping to retain the 6x9 mid bass on the bottom like the stock speakers because I love the way the 6x9's thump my leg with the amp connected to them. Another thought was just to keep the pioneers up front and just upgrade the tweeters to a hertz, but then there's an issue of the door speakers being 2ohm and the tweeter being 4 ohm. Resistor/capacitor change on the tweet maybe? Will have to think about it more. Gotta finish dynomat project first and get my junk back together!

http://www.hertzaudiovideo.com/default_en.htm