What a long trip it's been. First I started out by replacing all the speakers with 3 way Infinity Kappa 63.7i's & loaded the doors with 2 layers of B-Quiet. Then I added a quality 4 ch amp (ARC Audio 4050), top quality hi-low converter (CleanSweep) & a great sounding tight subwoofer (JL Audio W7). Then I decided the stereo still sounded hard & less that musical, so I knew what I had to do - replace the main offender - the head unit. What a difference a head unit makes! I decided I liked the sound quality & control of the EQ that the top end Kenwood receiver (XXV-01D) had going for it so I had it installed in the 1 din space below the original stereo unit & it was way worth the change. Of course I returned the CleenSweep hi-lo unit since I didn't need it anymore, ran the 4 speakers off 2 channels of the amp, put the other stereo amp in bridged mono & ran the sub off that. Then I bought an XMRadio unit to connect to the Kenwood & it all works seemlessly. What I lost in having steering wheel access to the stereo, I gained in fidelity. That stock Toyota unit is OK at best & I actually like the idea of having a dedicated display for the stereo, so I can leave the MFD on all the time on my favorite screen instead of constantly going back & forth. The XM unit connected through the Kenwood displays all the info I need to know, as does the built-in tuner. It all sounds so much better I could say this is ceratinly a contender for the best sounding stereo I've had in a vehicle & I've had a few good ones over the years. Yeah it was a bit expensive because all the components are top quality, but I love the thing every time I get in the car. The installer left the original head unit in the car because he said it messed with the a/c when he tried to remove it & use a conversion kit for the Kenwood, but that's OK since I just close the smoke colored door & it masks the Kenwood unit & I don't feel the need to take the face off in dicey areas.
The SWI-X is compatible with the 2005 Prius, according to this info, so you could retain your steering wheel controls if you really wanted them.
As requested, here's a few pix. You can adjust the angle on the face of the Kenwood so that it comes up in 3 different angles. This is great when the glare makes it hard to see the screen info. Also, with the supplied remote control, you can leave the door closed & adjust everything without taking your eyes off the road, once you get used to the remote's conventions. [Broken External Image]:http://www.meniketti.com/images/pk4.jpg [Broken External Image]:http://www.meniketti.com/images/pk5.jpg [Broken External Image]:http://www.meniketti.com/images/Psub.jpg
Sotagear Pioneer! Forgive if you have already said so, but I couldn't find, whether you had the Non-Premium or the "JBL (NOT!) Premium Sound System. Would you share this fact with the rest of the class! Thanks Sota Mucho!!! kenkneeb quote=sotagear,Oct 16 2005, 10:18 PM] What a long trip it's been. First I started out by replacing all the speakers with 3 way Infinity Kappa 63.7i's & loaded the doors with 2 layers of B-Quiet. Then I added a quality 4 ch amp (ARC Audio 4050), top quality hi-low converter (CleanSweep) & a great sounding tight subwoofer (JL Audio W7). Then I decided the stereo still sounded hard & less that musical, so I knew what I had to do - replace the main offender - the head unit. What a difference a head unit makes! I decided I liked the sound quality & control of the EQ that the top end Kenwood receiver (XXV-01D) had going for it so I had it installed in the 1 din space below the original stereo unit & it was way worth the change...
I had/have the stock stereo in my Prius, not the 9 speaker JBL version. Now it sits quietly in off position.
See, I have the nine speaker system, with the GPS and all, so I would lose the Map Lady if I switch out the head unit. Now, I did upgrade the speakers, and they do nicely. What I want to do, (and if anyone has done this, let me know), is put a sub in the 'trunk' space under the cargo mat. That way, it's out of sight, and does not take up space in the cargo area...all I have there now is some towels. (At least I know where my towel is...)
Actually, you might be able to have the map lady even with a new head unit. Since you have the 9 speaker system in your prius you possibly could hook up the center speaker to your original head unit & keep it connected for the GPS prompts. Of course I'm not familiar with how Toyota has everything routed to that head unit for the GPS sounds but I'll bet a bit of investigating would allow you to make that work if you so desired. I especially like, with my separate head unit, how I can just leave my MFD on the main trip info screen, and with your car I bet you would rather have the GPS screen always on & not have to go back & forth for the CD & Tuner funtions. Just some food for thought.
I'm thinking of changing my radio too. I was thinking of maybe just leaving the old one and wiring the old radio outs to mix in with the new radio preamp sigs to a new amp. That way I save my beeps, which I like mainly for the EV button.
Wow, you put in TWO layers of B-Quiet? Did it help with the road noise at all? would you do it again?
The NAV has its own amplifier and using a relay (you can hear it click on and off) switches out the audio amp from the driver door speaker and connects itself to it. Therefore, you don't need the HU or the amp for NAV. Same for BT I believe.
Right. Both can continue to be used with aftermarket audio systems so long as you use the factory speaker wiring for the left front midwoofer. This sounds like a great system. I have recently been looking at putting in an Alpine head unit in the under-radio position, just for playing CDs and perhaps ipod and/or satellite. My main motivation is to get digital output from CDs to drive my Alpine H700 DSP processor and outboard amps. But having an extra display so I can constantly see program info is another bonus. Did you have any problems fitting the head unit in there? I measured approx 7" depth for a head unit, and I think most head units are 6-6.5" deep so it seems doable but tight.
I can't honestly tell you what difference 1 layer vs 2 layers of B-Quiet would have made with road noise because I just went straight ahead with 2 layers without testing just a single layer first. I knew that I had enough to cover all the doors twice so I figured I'd give it a go. Plus when I tapped on the door from the outside with only 1 layer & went to the other door I had just finished 2 layers, there was an absolute difference in the lack of resonance with the 2 layers. That should translate to a better reduction in road noise, but by how much of a noticable factor I'm unsure. I would still like to get more of the tire noise down in volume, even though I have ComforTreads, but I'm not willing to tear up the floor interior for more insulation at this time. Unless there is a simpler solution I'll just live with what I have at present. I "do" know there was a definite difference with B-Quiet & none in the doors alone on quieting the cabin.
I didn't do the Kenwood install, I left the head unit & amp install part to the local car hi-fi place (AMS on Stevens Creek in Santa Clara CA). He mentioned nothing of difficulties installing the Kenwood. I believe it was a pretty easy thing for an installer. Oh & the XMRadio showing up on the Kenwood display is a plus. Kenwood has ties to Sirius in it's advertising and is what the display says I have when I change to that input, but the head unit features & display obviously works the same with both. The second reason I wanted an external head unit, besides sound quality, was for better control of EQ. After installing the B-Quiet I could tell the door speakers needed a bit of cut around 300 and a few other small tweaks. Sometimes the best use of EQ is subtractive & this unit has a 5 band parametric interface along with complete high pass & low pass controls for the sub interfacing with the door speakers, including your choice of hi/lo frequency cutoffs & filters of 12, 18 & 24db/octave. Definitely more control than most other units I looked at. And yes, it does sound good. They say they are using better converters, caps, etc in this unit & I have no reason to disbelieve that.
