Head unit upgrade

It does - will connect you to the LOC and the amp.

under pass front seat is the amp - you will unplug that (2 plugs)
the autoharness house adapter will plug in to those now unplugged connectors (2)
all you have left are bare wires from that new harness.

Each of those wires (minus one or two maybe) will route to the LOC
and the rest to the output side of the amp.

Go back and look at this pic of my amp
https://www.tundras.com/threads/head-unit-upgrade.145950/#post-3665392

Now - go look at this pic of the harness pin locations
https://www.tundras.com/threads/non-jbl-factory-amp-bypass.127437/#post-3256915

Dont worry man - you got this - I know its foreign to you, it was to me also...

 

Okay, thanks. It'll probably make better sense when i get the seat out and have it all in front of my face... Thanks.

 

Give me the afternoon and I will create a wiring diagram and post it here of exactly how you will wire everything up. This is the harness(es) you ordered correct? Toyota Entune Amp Upgrade for Tundra and Tacoma (autoharnesshouse.com)

If so, these are the pin outs for them. There will be two separate connectors that will plug into the factory connectors once you remove the factory amp.


Generally speaking, amps would have an input harness and an output harness, generally speaking, rca inputs, and speaker wire outputs. In these trucks, some of the inputs and outputs are mixed in one of the connectors.

Your signal chain will basically be Stock Head Unit > Factory Wires to connector under your seat > You'll plug in the 12 and 10 pin connectors, match up the bare speaker wires coming off of them to the inputs on the LC7i and the outputs on your amp, connect RCA cables between the LC7i outputs and amp inputs, power and ground wires, and then you're done!

Like I said, give me some time this afternoon and I will get a wire schematic drawn up that illustrates all of this.

 

What i did was take my harness and the notes i made from this site and oriented my harness so it matches the photo
Not this exact photo, but there are several posted here.

Then using the photo I labeled each bare wire as noted in photo

Inputs will go to the LOC
Outputs will go to the amp (the sound signals coming out of the amp to doors)

Feel free to send me a PM and i will help all i can. This way the forum dont
get cluttered up with stuff.

 

NICE !!!!!!

 

Yep, that's exactly what i ordered. It has already shipped, i should have my audio controller by Monday. Thanks all!!

 

Alrighty, since I made this quick it's not super tidy as far as wire routing goes, nor is it to scale by any means. I know there is a lot going on and it may look confusing, but if you reference this one step at a time it should help. Some important things to note:

1) Highly recommend following @purplenova 's advice and labeling all your wires before you start so you don't get confused. Use a label maker, or get a cheap roll of white electrical tape and a sharpie to write the wire names on, like "FR + Input" for "Front Right + Input" etc.

2) Youtube how to run the power wire and install your main power wire fuse. On my truck the passenger side firewall grommet is easier to reach.

3) You could use a power distribution block, but it would be overkill in my opinion. Instead, you can use your amps +12V input to grab power for the LC7i. Get a small in line fuse holder from an auto store or on Amazon with a 2 amp fuse. This in line fuse wire will go between your amps +12V power input and the LC7i +12V input to supply it with power. You will use a piece of the same gauge of wire (Audiocontrol says to use 14 or 16 gauge wire for power and ground, a bigger gauge like 10 or 12 is okay too, ground wire gauge should match that of the inline fuse power wire).

4) Most amps nowadays have signal sensing auto-turn on. The LC7i does too. You shouldn't have to run any remote wires unless your amp doesn't have this feature, in which case see the diagram to run remote from LC7i Remote Out to amp Remote In.

4) General steps I would do to install everything:
Wire up your amp rack so when you put it in, you just have to plug in the connectors and the power and ground wires (and remote if applicable). Disconnect negative cable on battery.
Remove passenger seat.
Remove rear seats.
Remove factory amp.
Install new power and ground wires.
Install pre-wired amp rack into truck and connect everything including 10 and 12 pin connectors, power and ground.
Install new speakers.
Install subwoofers into box and into truck.
Reconnect negative on battery.
Test and enjoy!

Once you start installing, happy to help answer questions and Youtube is your friend. ProvoBeast Audio on Youtube has a couple Tundra videos I found super helpful. Plan to dedicate a weekend to your install, maybe more. It will be a big project, but the pay off will be worth it!

 

that is awesome!! thank you guys so much!!

 

FYI - when you get your harness. He will include the pin out diagram. I just ordered one and it has the diagram noted previously

 

You got this man!! I know you said earlier you like Alpine Amps. One thing to consider is the size of the amps themselves. The Kicker and Infinity amps will be a good bit wider than the Alpine or Kenwood. I would order the amp rack I linked from SoundsGoodStereo first, and then see how the LC7i fits on it and how much room you have for an amp. I measured under my seat just now and the Infinity and Kicker should fit, would just be a little more tight. Of the amps under $500, I would go with the Infinity unless it won't fit on the amp rack, in which case I would go Kenwood.

 

I pulled the trigger on the infinity amp, hopefully will have it in hand in a day or so. I got my RCA cables, amp installation kit, and the LC7i in hand now as well. Regarding the subs, do i need to purchase shallow mount subs for the sub box that goes behind the back seat? Any brand better that stands out?

 

I have this sub and it fits behind the seat.
Rockford Fosgate Sub -

$260 R2S-1X12 Single R2S Slim 12” Shallow Subwoofer Loaded in a Wedge Enclosure with 250 Watts RMS / 500 Watts Max

R2S-1X12

 

rocking 1 12" sub is enough? I was thinking i'd go with 2 10" subs most likely but, still digesting ideas right now... How loud is 1 12"?

 

it hits pretty hard for my liking - its all up to what you want. Was just posting my reply because it fits behind the seat.

You can also get in touch with James Randy Taylor of taylorsaudio -
james@tech12volts

He is this forum's Authorized Audio Guru and specializes in Tundra stereos/equipment.
He has outstanding service and usually beats everyone else prices. I have his JL Audio dash speakers in my truck now.
His website is a little bare (taylorsaudio.com), send him and email and he can hook you up. (info@tech12volt.com)

 

Nice choice!!! Like @purplenova said, Tech12Volts is probably the most revered and knowledgeable source of all things Tundra audio.

Also purplenova, in another thread I suggested the SoundsGoodStereo amp rack and the guy said it worked out great! thread: Passenger seat mounting bracket for subwoofer | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com)

@hvychev77 also like purplenova said and like I mentioned before, one sub will definitely be pretty bumpin. Since you went with the Infinity Amp, here are the power ratings at both 4 and 2 ohms for both the speaker channels (1-4) and the subwoofer channel (5):



Your next decision will just need to be if you want to go with one subwoofer or two.

For subwoofer(s), you have a few different routes to go. Subs can be single or dual voice coil, which affects how you can wire them to themselves or one another. This Crutchfield article explains it really well: Subwoofer wiring diagrams (crutchfield.com)

Your choices will basically be:

One 4-ohm 300 watt RMS subwoofer
One 2-ohm capable 500 watt RMS subwoofer
Two 4-ohm 250 watt RMS subwoofers

I would either go with one 2-ohm capable 500 watt RMS sub, or two subs that are about half that power. Honestly the difference between those two setups will probably not be super noticeable. The biggest thing will be if you go with one sub, you will probably be getting a sealed box, which generally means tighter, punchier, more "accurate" bass. If you go with 2 subs, it will probably be a ported box, which will be generally louder, and boomier, but maybe less "accurate". I personally prefer sealed boxes in car audio, but it is totally personal preference and the pros and cons to both could be debated until the end of time as it matters a ton on one sub vs another.

You will need to get shallow mount subs either way. These were my previous recommendations:

Subwoofers - Goes without saying but I'll say it anyways, a single sub will be cheaper than two subs. A single subwoofer box will be cheaper than a dual subwoofer box. A single subwoofer will still be plenty bumping. Dual subs will be very bumping. Need to match RMS of subs and amp, as well as sub's and box's air volume, and mounting depth of sub and box.

For a single sub:
Sundown Audio Dual 4-ohm voice coil SML-Series, wire voice coils together in parallel to get 500 watts RMS @ 2 ohms SML-Series 10” Thin Subwoofer – Sundown Audio
Alpine Type S Single 4-Ohm voice coil, 350 watts RMS @ 4 ohms Alpine SWT-10S4 | 1000W Peak 10" Shallow Mount Truck Subwoofer (sonicelectronix.com)
Pioneer D Series Single 4-ohm voice coil, 350 watts RMS @ 4 ohms Pioneer TS-D10LS4 D-Series 10" 4-ohm shallow-mount subwoofer at Crutchfield
Rockford Fosgate Punch Series, Dual 2-ohm voice coil, wire voice coils together in series to get 350 watts RMS @ 4 ohms Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-10 Punch Stage 3 shallow-mount 10" subwoofer with dual 2-ohm voice coils at Crutchfield
Hertz Cento Series, Single 4-ohm voice coil, 300 watts RMS @ 4 ohms Hertz CS 250 S4 Cento Series 10" shallow-mount 4-ohm component subwoofer at Crutchfield

For two subs: Get 2 of any of the above except the Sundown Audio as your amp will be underpowered for 2 of them. If going with 2 subs, need to ensure the box's air volume matches the volume for 2 subs. Same goes for a single sealed sub. Also need to ensure wiring will get appropriate load.

 

A far as subwoofer brands go, it kind of depends on how much you want to spend. There are more audiophile grade brands that are usually a little more expensive that I didn't list. What is your budget for subwoofer(s) and a box? A single subwoofer and box, or a pre-fab one like pruplenova posted will be around $200-$400. For a pair of subs, I would estimate around $400-$600.

 

This is the same photo that was included in my harness from autoharness house, as noted in the illustration from Snert

https://www.tundras.com/threads/non-jbl-factory-amp-bypass.127437/#post-3256915

 

So, if i understand this correctly, i am not able to wire 2 subs @ 2ohms with this amp? I was reading some online about wiring 2 subs off one channel and thought maybe i could. It's not a big deal to me either way. I was kinda leaning to go with (2) 10" subs but, may need to change direction if i'm going to risk damaging the amp. Regarding the budget, i haven't really landed on a number yet, but i definitely do not want to buy cheap stuff.... buy once, cry once. Thanks everyone!!

 

You can wire 2 subs together to 2 ohms safely. Basically a sub can be single or dual voice coil. To wire 2 subs together to 2 ohms, you would want 2 single voice coil 4 ohm subs wired in parallel.

 

Awesome. Thanks. I've seen some of the Kicker subs that state they're good for 4ohm and 2ohm wiring. For the amp i bought, the sub channel =500w @ 2ohms, does the diagram you have here allocate 250 watts per sub?

 

Most subs will come in either a 2 or 4 ohm version for the model, call it "Subwoofer A" and then different models of subs is where you'll see a difference in single or dual voice coil, call it "Subwoofer B".

Subwoofer A will be a single voice coil that's either 2 or 4 ohms.

Subwoofer B will be a dual voice coil that's either 2 or 4 ohms.

Subwoofer A will be straightforward for power. Subwoofer B can be wired into parallel to halve the resistance, or series to double it. If you have two or more of Subwoofer A, then the wiring options become like Subwoofer B.

 

Yes if you have two subs connected to one channel, the amps power rating for that channel will be distributed equally between the two subs. Some subs nowadays make it a no-brainer and just have an impedance switch you can flip. Traditionally/most subwoofers will either be a single voice coil and whatever impedance they are built as, e.g. 2 or 4 ohm is what you get. If a sub has dual voice coils, or if you're wiring multiple subs together, you simply make jumper wires between the poles like pictured above.

 

Which Kicker Subs are you looking at?

 

Just looking around and came across these. It states in the description they have 4ohm voice coils but can be wired to 2ohms.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20648CT104/Kicker-48CWRT104.html

Thoughts?

 

So you could wire one of those down to 2 ohms, but then would be overpowering it by 100 watts RMS, (Amp is 500w RMS @ 2 ohm, bus is 400w RMS at 2 or 4 ohms) which would be probably be okay so long as your amp gains are set properly, but would be about the most I would overpower a sub. If you got two of the 2 ohm version of that sub, you could wire them together to say at 2 ohms, but then you would be underpowering them by 300 watts (500w amp @ 2 ohms, subs would be 400w + 400w = 800w rms). If you like the price of those and are wanting to do a pair of 10" subs for sure, I would recommend the Rockford Fosgate Punch Series. I mistakenly listed that they were 350w RMS before, I double checked just now and they are 300w RMS, so a pair of them would be 600w RMS @ 2 ohms, meaning you would be underpowering them by 50w each, which would be totally good and you would have almost 0 chance of blowing them ever.

Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-10 Punch Stage 3 shallow-mount 10" subwoofer with dual 2-ohm voice coils at Crutchfield

You would wire the voice coils on each in series, and the subs together in parallel:



Rockford Fosgate is equally well recognized to Kicker when it comes to quality etc. so no worries there. The Rockford subs I linked above require this for volume:


That is per subwoofer. Double those numbers or .80-2.0 cubic feet for a sealed box, and 2.0 cubic feet for a ported box. I found this dual 10" on Amazon for a 2014-2017 Tundra Crewmax for $150 that would work:

$145 SoundBox Tundra CrewMax 2014-2017 Dual 10" Subwoofer Enclosure Sub Box

Amazon.com: SoundBox Tundra CrewMax 2014-2017 Dual 10" Subwoofer Enclosure Sub Box : Electronics

 

Hey, Snert, What would the diagram look like without the LOC? I'm installing the same headunit that you have (sony 9000ES). I'm looking at putting in an amp later on.
Thanks in advance!

 

For the head unit install itself, it depends if you opt to go the iDatalink Maestro RR route, or pieced together kit from AutoHarnessHouse. In either case, the head unit will still be sending "powered" signal to the dash corner and center speakers, and "unpowered" signal to the factory amp, which then powers the signal to the door speakers. With an aftermarket head unit, traditionally you use RCA's from the head unit to the amp. The reason for the LC7i line output converter or similar is needed in our trucks is not so much to get an RCA or low level signal, as most modern amps accept high level inputs, but rather to correct the factory bass processing, i.e. factory system cuts bass. With an aftermarket head unit, we don't have to worry about that. That said, you really have 2 options for how you could wire things, but in both cases if you are re-using the factory wiring to the speakers, you would still need the 10 and 12 pin connectors in the diagram I posted. The reason for this is when you remove the factory amp, you don't want to cut any wires, and since the "output" wires intermixed in the connectors. Depending if your amp has only RCA inputs, you may need to use speaker wire to RCA adapters, and possibly RCA Y-splitters depending on your amp (some amps can derive a subwoofer channel from other channels), or, you can just run RCA cables for input, and use the 10 and 12 pin connectors for output, and just capping the input wires. If you we're installing an amp and new speakers no sub, you could just re-use the factory wires with RCA adapters. Lol I know that all probably sounds confusing but basically there's just different ways to connect things with the same end result. I'll show the different ways you could wire things for a new head unit along with pictures, and then an overall diagram at the end:

Option 1) Installing 4 channel amp and new speakers using only factory wiring and 10 and 12 pin integration harnesses (or 5 channel amp that can derive subwoofer input from channels 1-4). Amp accepts high level inputs but only has RCA connectors for input. Basically you would crimp or solder speaker wire to RCA adapters onto the bare "input" wires coming off of the 12 pin harness, and then the "output" wires from the 12 and 10 pin harnesses would go to the appropriate output spots on your amp:



Option 2) Same as above, except your amp has speaker wire inputs instead of RCA inputs, or it has both.


Option 3) You run new RCA wires from head unit to amp for input, rather than using the input wires bare like above, or with speaker wire to RCA adapters like above. Just like the examples above, if you're amp can derive subwoofer signal from the other channels, you may not need to run a dedicated pair of RCA's for your subwoofer, but it wouldn't hurt to do so and I would probably do it anyways. This example looks the "cleanest" on paper, but since there is already wiring ran for the factory amp, it's not necessary to do this per se.




Let me know if you have questions about any of these examples, ahppy to help!

 

Wow! Thanks for the detail and options! My HU arrives tomorrow from Trailgrid Pr0. It is plug and play. I'll decide later what amp, speakers, and sub I want. So much has changed since I first installed a HU, amp, and sub in the early 90's (yeah, i'm old). Thanks again for your excellent info and advice!

Edit: I'm probably going to do option 2.

Edit2: I'm probably going to use the factory speaker wires but RCA's from the headunit to the amp...should work, no? @Snert?

 

I hear ya lol. Luckily there’s actually useful/good “middlemen” companies like iDatalink that solve all the factory feature retention issues for us.

In my system I ended up installing my amplifier behind the rear seats and ran all new speaker wire otherwise I would have used the factory wiring for input and output like in option 1 or 2. Speaker wire to RCA adapters are cheap and easy to install, like these: RCA Plug Solderless, Conwork 2-Pack RCA Male Plug Screws Audio Video in-Line Jack Adapter Gold Plated

$7 Conwork RCA Plug Solderless, 2-Pack RCA Male Plug Screws Audio Video in-Line Jack Adapter Gold Plated

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DRQF2R4 or these

$8 2 Pack Speaker Bare Wire Cables to RCA Plugs Adapter Repair Audio Cord, Heavy 14 Gauge Speaker Wire to RCA Connector for Speakers Amplifier TV Subwoofer - 14AWG,1Ft

https://www.amazon.com/Speaker-Adap...018524041-B09MVVXVTQ-&hvexpln=73&gad_source=1

If/when you’re looking to do speakers/amp/subs I’ve got a bunch of suggestions on previous pages of this thread, but if you want to start a new thread or PM me with budget, goals, etc. I’m happy to lend my 2 cents! I’m by no means an expert but I’ve done a fair bit of car audio as well as other aftermarket electrical stuff like dash cams, lights etc. and am always happy to help people upgrade their systems within their budgets!

 

Cool. Thanks! Apologies to the OP for the thread hijack.