Any JBL woofer replacements that improve things?

I did stand outside the car with the stereo on and the doors closed to check for sound penetration. There was some, but surprisingly, much less than my other car which is a Landcruiser and also has a subwoofer. The Prius seems to be fairly well-insulated. I was not playing the stereo at extremely high levels, but louder than normal. I could hear a slight rattle from the license plate holder if I put my ear next to it.

 

P.S.

After the subwoofer was installed, I noticed that the key was not functioning properly. I had to insert it into the dash to start the car. The little button under the steering wheel did nothing. Two Toyota technicians worked on it for half a day before tracing the problem to a disconnected wire. They said that the wire was unclipped by the installer of the aftermarket amplifier, and not reconnected. They charged me $200 for labor because this was not covered by the warranty. When I informed the installer of his error, he immediately paid for the Toyota charges without hesitation. This is a very reputable and honest installer, and I would be glad to refer anyone to his shop. (He's in Hawaii, though.)

 

Re: P.S.

No problem! I'll drive right out there!

Of course, I'll have to drive my "Bitchin' Camaro", since the Prius just won't make it.

 

The sound system...again

Well just when I thought I had gotten used to the Prius "premium" sound system , I went out of town, rented a little Ford Focus, and was rather amazed at the sound system it had. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't too crazy about the car itself and missed my Prius like mad, but when I powered it up upon my return, I felt a letdown ... just because of the sound system.

The Focus door speakers are much higher in the door, and it had a very crisp, but full sound--and I was only playing the radio. Guess I might just have to invest in the upgrade my local audio shop suggested. Just wish I knew *for sure* it would make a big difference before I lay out the $$.

Has anyone thought about speakers higher in the door? Would it be possible?

 

Re: P.S.

Vernon, thanks for the good information. Couple of follow up questions:
1) which battery was used for hooking up the new AMP?
2) did you use the existing cover to mount the sub into? is it visible when you look into the trunk

Thanks

 

Re: P.S.

I just re-read your post and it answered my questions #2. Who did you use to make the custom enclosure for the sub? Would it be something they can do again and ship if I give them the dimensions etc of the sub?

I have an existing sub and amp that I just bought for my other car. I'm thinking about taking that system and using your method to hook it up to in my Prius.

Thanks!

 

Patakka - The installer I used to construct the sub enclosure is Security & Sound Systems, 2131 South Beretania St., Honolulu, Hawaii 96826. Phone: (808) 947-8799, fax: (808) 944-3955. The owner's name is Kent. This was the 4th subwoofer he has installed for me, and he always does an excellent job. I'm sure he can make and ship one for you, but the one he made for the Prius is quite heavy (maybe 35-40 pounds).

The amp is connected directly to the small 12 volt battery with thick braided wires. The signal inputs for the sub amp look like they come from the other JBL amp under the passenger's seat (although Kent told me they were attached to the rear speakers). It seems to be hooked up to a small blue box attached to the JBL amp. I don't know if the blue box was part of the JBL system or if Kent added it on. If I can get my hands on a camera, I'll post some photos.

 

That's great Vernon. Thank you very much for the information. I will give Ken a call and see what he can do.

Look forward to seeing the pictures

R

 

Re: The sound system...again

Me too! I rented a Ford Explorer a couple of weeks ago with what I assume was a standard sound system, loved the sound (and it was only FM), and felt let down when I returned to my Prius "premium" JBL. Since sound quality is so subjective, I have been reluctant to pursue any of the upgrade options presented here (and elsewhere) so far. I want others to be guinea pigs! I'm willing to part with some $$'s to upgrade the system, but I want to know that I will be happy with the product.

Hint, hint: there is probably some $$ to be made by some entrepeneurial(sp) audio-type who can do the groundwork and provide some form of upgrade kit for the Prius.

 

Just thought I would add my two cents again. I tried adding better rear speakers but that didn't help. From that experience I learned that the volume to the rear speakers is somewhat limited. I plan to add a separate amp to send to the rear speakers. With a equalizer of course.
Will let you know what happens. I don't want to put a sub in the back.

 

Here's a photo of the sub enclosure with the hatch deck raised. The port is visible on the left. The wire terminals are on the right side.

 

These are photos of the after market amp under the driver's seat (with the seat rolled forward), and the factory JBL amp with a mysterious blue box affixed.

 

Vernon -- thanks very much much for the photos!

Hmmmm..... what is that blue box? Looks like an ethernet hub. :mrgreen:

 

I'll hazard a guess and say the 'blue box' is a line-level adaptor. It takes speaker level inputs and 'knocks' it down to low-level rca level to then go to your sub amp. This way you basically can tap any rear speaker wires and send that high-level signal thru the 'blue box', then on to your sub amp, then out to subwoofer. Nice pics, nice install, and nice sub box! What's it sound like? Are you happy with it all? Drive fun, drive clean, drive Prius...and drive that sub low!

 

My installation invoice has a $30 charge for a "PIE PDC-LOC." That must be the blue box adapter thing? The sound quality of the sub is as good as factory-made powered boxes that I have used before which were made by Collins. And somehow, there is hardly any sonic difference with the hatch floor open or closed. I am quite pleased with the result.

 

So, in test-driving my mother's Prius for a week, I observed that the sound quality seemed to be "noisy"-- sound from the CD, tape-adapted iPod, and radio seemed "aliased" (digitally under-sampled), as well as muddy. Certain frequencies just didn't respond the same way as others.

My guess is that the problem lies either with the JBL amplifier or the Panasonic head unit. Those who have reported no change in sound quality after having replaced some or all speakers would seem to confirm this.

So, the question is, is it the head-unit (and if it is, is there anything we can do about it?) or the under-seat amplifier that's not performing properly? Has anyone yet SWAPPED OUT the JBL amp?

 

great questions rydot! I am just itching to adapt/upgrade my JBL prem sys. It's great to hear that replacing speakers won't work. So, I wonder about replacing the JBL amp or adding an amp/equalizer for the rears?
I've spoken to a couple of Toyota service techs and they say to leave the JBL amp alone - wiring issues. Based on an earlier post in this thread - well, my head is spinning about all the wiring issues (doesn't help that I'm not familiar with the tech side of car audio).
Vernon - thanks for those great pics!! Wow. The base is so muddy and restricted as I hear it - the sub the way you've done it is inspiring.

 

Continuing to be very satisfied with the performance of the subwoofer addition. I am able to adjust the JBL bass level several bars below center to eliminate the muddiness of the factory speakers. The sub amp is set with the variable crossover turned way down, and the low pass filter on.

Have not noticed any digital under-sampling or out-of-phase ear problems.

 

I had posted the answer to some of the questions here.
I'm still finalizing the install of the equalizer/booster to the rear speakers from the JBL amp, which is the problem. If I want I could add a sub to the equalizer because it has 200 watts, but it only cost $20 bucks which is an inexpensive solution to the problem.