It is a well-chronicled fact that the 04 and 05 JBL sound system lacks...shall we say...punch and clarity. Anyone with a comment or news on if the 2006 version is improved?
I have a question too about the JBL System. When they say 9 speakers in 7 locations, where exactly are they? I know the front mids are in the doors and the rear mids are on the deck on all packages, but where are the tweeters in the JBL and non-JBL packages? I want to know because I'd rather get the package without the JBL and install better speakers. Any help would be appreciated.
Some have had improvements simply by disconnecting the center speaker. Others have installed a subwoofer like the Bazooka BTA6100.
The 2006 Prius with Package #8 is a vast improvement of the audio system. It sounds really good to my ears. For those who believe they need a subwoofer try this first: Increase both treble and bass controls while leaving the midline tone control alone. I am experiencing great bass and treble response this way. I am finding no need to install a subwoofer as a result. Cheers
I hate to be critical of my new baby, but the JBL "premium" sound isn't very... premium, that is. I've had premium systems in other cars, and the JBL is the lackluster one of the bunch. Its muddy in the midrange (the reason for disconnecting the center speaker), and lt lacks bass AND smooth highs. It's fine on AM radio, but it will leave you wanting more on your CDs and MP3s. I can't compare it to the 04/05, but I can't believe it is substantially improved for 2006 based on my experience.
I agree - muddy is the way I'd describe it, though using the 3-band equalizer helped some - I lowered the mid and boosted bass and treble and this helped somewhat. Still not very "premium" to my ears though.
Muddy is how I'd describe it as well, though I can't believe people want to boost the bass! It's way too bassy, most of it concentrated at that huge 70 Hz bump. The closest I can get it to flat is bass -1, mid 0, treble +2. I haven't heard the 04 or 05, but I've seen the frequency response charts, and they seem to match what my ears are detecting in my 06. My guess is they are the same.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Color Theory @ Feb 3 2006, 12:37 AM) [snapback]203019[/snapback]</div> Muddy, Mono, I cant believe they call it a premium stereo. I just got my '06 w/ pkg 6 last week, and i've been playing w/ the levels and AVS, and its just so mono all around. And I agree that its got too much bass already, everything starts rattling right away if i start increasing the bass. I was hoping people on these boards hadnt noticed, because then it would have meant that it was a defective stereo, but I guess everyone has this problem. I dont think I'm that picky, but I've driven alot of cars and this is even worse than stereo i had in my '88 hyundai. I really dont want to spend a dime on new speakers..... ugh!
I have an 05 Salsa red package 6 (or 9, i forget, but its the loaded one) with the JBL sytem and find two things- one: NO bass a good 8" woofer however I think would go a long way Two: commenting on the muddy highs, I believe is a factor relating to the poor sound deadening insulation (or lack there of) and contamination with outside noise.
My 2006 package #5 has the JBL premium sound system. To be perfectly honest, I'm a little disappointed. nine speakers, amplifier under the passenger seat, but the sound is lacking. The high end tweeters fail to produce really "clean, crisp" highs. Low end is really muddy without definition, i guess distorted is the word. overall, not a bad sterio, but not what i had expected from a sterio touted as a "custom" JBL sound system specifically designed for this particular vehicle. I've heard some very, very, very good JBL systems. this in not one of them. I will very likely make my own mods later to try and get the sound I want from it. I do think its possible to create a really good sound from this system without a lot of work or modification, so thats a bright side to the whole thing.
I've got mine dialed in nice. On the way home tonight I had 38 Special on with the volume at 42 ... my left pant leg was blowing from a speaker low in the footwell area. I
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DitchedMySUV @ Jul 20 2006, 04:46 PM) [snapback]289679[/snapback]</div> Stock 2005 Camry and stock 2006 Corolla S also sound better than this JBL premium in my experience. Better seats too.
I have a 2005 with the JBL system. Can I swap in the 2006+ JBL speakers into my 2005, plug n play? I know the part numbers are different. 2004-5: 86160-0W880 2006 +: 86160-AC280
I got a 2006 prius. Was wondering if I should put in a small amp to boost the bass a little. Would it cause any problems with electronics ?
Hi there, I'm actually in a quest for this. I'm okay with the JBL system and all I want is just a bit more bass kick. I believe I have the a correct candidate amp that will work really good with my 2007 Prius or maybe some others. I have an extra Rockford Fosgate 300 watts mono sub amp that I have been using on some of my other cars. I'm only driving 2-8 inch subs. This amp is so quiet, has a very good grounding system and it doesn't eat any unnecessary battery power. In fact I accidentally left my other car running this system for 4 hours on medium volume. The battery on that Toyota was very small and surprisingly it didn't drain. The sound on this amp is incredible for a such a small amount of power which is just what I need. I can feel the vibration of the bass thumping when my car in in the driveway and I'm inside the house. When you go inside the car its not even loud. Of course its a combination of a good speaker mounting and the right cubic in of box. I think the hurdle on this one is how can I fit a 2-8 inch subwoofers in the car on a stealth box. or maybe 1-10 inch. The one thing I can think off too is 1-10 inch free-air subwoofer and installing in the spare tire compartment. I use to have an old Celica lift back and I mounted 2-8 inch speakers in the spare tire housing using just a board and a free air speakers. For the frequency that I wanted it was one of the best subwoofer "sound" setup I had. the drawback is I just have to move the spare tire somewhere else. Hopefully I can get an interface that I can connect before the original factory amp input so I wont have to "screw-driver" the dash just to get into the back of radio to connect my interlink. Anyways any brainstorming that you can come up with please post.
