Base Stereo vs. JBL Stereo

That's generally what I do ... just do it manually ... my '07 Acura MDX automatically lowered the fan speed when a call was answered.

 

I have not heard the JBL but the base sound system in my II sounds alot better then expected. It sounds alot better then the stock system of my 05 tacoma. It has a good full sound, nothing that will knock your socks off but it works for me as it is with ok bass. My tacoma I could not live with and had to add a sub.

 

To the OP, I think you'd really need to sample the base audio system for yourself. Take a demo car out to the highway where road noise is the highest.

Need to determine if you like it.

That said, the Gen2 JBL to me was much better than basic audio.

Also, $1,000 extra is not a lot for an audio system. With $200+ amps, power cable kit, $$ for quality speakers, pro install, could quickly eat up $1k and a lot more.

 

Two of our cars have the Bose audio system. I should have my Prius in about 10-days. I bought the kicked up JBL audio system to get the Nav. I will report back when I get my car.

Dan

 

On my '07 with the JBL system, I upgraded the front speakers to component JBL with better speakers than what came with stock. I also just unplugged the center speaker that muddled the sound. I will have a trusted audiophile look at the '10 system and see if they put cheep tweeters in or not. I will up grade to better components and add Dynamat to the doors to improve the sound. My upgraded '07 JBL sounded better than the stock '10 JBL.

On my '07, I added a Bazooka Sub, but found it was unnecessary after upgrading to a better component in the front and Dynamating the doors.
The '10 is much quieter, but I still want to sound dampen the doors--if only to get that righteous "thud" that happens when closing well sound dampened doors:rockon:

Lee

 

Hey Gadget Dad please keep us posted on your upgrades. I know that the 10 sounds better than the 09, but if you have any ideas of how to get more out of the system please let us know. I was thinking of adding a pre-amped Bazooka myself.

 

I guess you have the bass up a bit? Hopefully an old square like me who plays classical won't have that happen.

Rich N.

 

My dealer has some internal sound system guru who they claim know a lot about car sound systems and he has checked out both base and JBL in the new Prius. The supposed guru said the base system (made by Japanese company which name I don't remember) continue to be disappointing but a bit improved from gen II. Yet according to him, the JBL is significantly better than base. I only tested drove Priuses (what’s the plural of Prius?) with JBL and I thought it was good.

But here's the comment from a real expert: my brother is visiting me from Brazil and he's actually a guitar player, has a very fine sound system in his car, and knows a lot about sound quality, so clearly he's an expert, not me! His comments about the JBL were: “the sound system is decent, they slightly misplaced some of the components, but for this car’s size, I could live with it... it's not a Bose for sure...” go figure…

 

How does the midrange sound on the gen3 JBL system? The midrange center speaker on gen2s sounds absolutely horrible, so I disconnected it. At times, I wish I had saved the money and just gotten the base.

 

Rather than go on and on about the OLD upgrade JBL radios and how bad they are/were, l'll stay with the Gen III 2010 Prius. It's what we're focused on anyway.

The new upgrade JBL is great. Sound crisp and clear - and FAR better than its predecessor. That said, is it worth the jump to the III from the II?

I don't think so.
In my book, there are only 2 reasons to jump from II to III -- NAV system or sunroof/NAV.

That is just my personal opinion.

 

I have to disagree. A good sound system is a lot more expensive than base sounds considering the new components, professional installation, etc. While the 1 K difference is a bit too much, it's not only that. Remember that to make the Prius 2 satellite radio ready, most dealers are charging about $500. And there is also the Bluetooth on the 3 and not in the 3. So, I think the difference in price from 2 to 3 is somewhat justifiable by its own extra features. I do not recommend investing 1,8 K for the Prius navigation system, which has been proved to have questionable quality at best. You could get a much nicer Garmin for 3-4 times less and upgrades are far less expensive. About the sunroof, well it's a nice feature to have but to me way to expensive in the Prius...

 

Looks like everyone is speculating on the 2010...but I have one! Just got a II and I think the stereo is good. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure you audiophiles out there would like a step up, but old rock and roll sounds pretty good to me on the base system! By the way, I added Bluetooth for $249 at Southeast Toyota before it got to the dealer. The dealer (Scott Clark Toyota City, Charlotte) told me it was much better to get it done before it got to the dealer. By the way, let me give them kudoes...no mark up, very professional, dealt with another dealer to get the car I wanted. Can't say enough good. I have a 2002 Prius that has 164,000 miles...most trouble free car I have ever owned...currently for sale.

 

Very well, but the question is did you actually compared with the JBL sound system? Tastes for sound quality vary wildly as one can imagine, some people are a lot less or more picky than others...

Anyway, $249 for Bluetooth + $500 for satellite radio (dealer installed, not aftermarket products): $749... so it looks like Prius 3 owners is getting installed upgraded JBL sound system for $251... quite a bargain!

 

I can tell you that the JBL system cannot compare with the factory system that I have in my Honda CR-V (Leather plus Nav). Among other things, Honda includes a sub. Toyota should have done the same.

 

I am a owner of a 2010 II. The base stereo lacks solid base response and midrange; the treble is nothing to write home about either. Note: the music source makes a significant difference; the radio is terrible; ipod/iphone and CD are a significant improvement over the radio. I am very interested in aftermarket modifications, such as an amp and sub, but word is the battery is too small and thus doesn't pack enough juice to supply the mods. I would appreciate any feedback on this issue ... or should this be under a new topic?

 

Does the base stereo play mp3 files from data CD-RW? (It didn't on the Gen II).

I have a couple of data discs in the auto-changer, and I find that more convient and accessible than plugging in a portable mp3 player into the AUX.

 

The base system in my car is very good for FM and CD. As good as any car I've owned.
My impression is there is nothing really cheap in a Prius. After all, it's a moderately expensive car, though very good value for the money.

 

Ta. I thought it should have in the previous model, but it didn't for the base. I'd also like to see Vorbis Ogg format...