800 dollar plug and play amps worth the money?

So I have a 2015 Tundra SR5 Crew Max non JBL system and is less that sub par !! Is there a reasonable way to even just boost my door speakers!!?? I had hertz in, they were blown and had more bass than a brand new set of Rockford Fosgate speakers I just installed. Are the 7-800 dollar plug and play amps worth the money or does anyone have a solution??

 

Personally, I'd replace the stock head unit before anything else if you haven't already.

It's good to start off there because it's the major limiting point (besides the amp) to the audio system in these trucks.

If you replace the head unit, you have lots of more options for the future. Plus it allows you to tune the EQ now before replacing the amp.

Just stick to the major brands like Kenwood, Sony, Alpine, Pioneer, etc. Don't even bother with the cheap Chinese crap, I guarantee you will end up replacing it again.

I'd recommend you buy one from Crutchfield.com. Plug in your vehicle info and shop away. It will show you what else is needed wiring wise to make it work once you add it to your cart.

 

As Black Beauty 5.7 said, the head unit is a good place to start when upgrading. If you want to keep the stock head unit, you can do so. If you do keep the stock head unit, you need to get either a DSP, or a line output converter like an LC7i to fix the factory bass processing. If you got an amp that accepts speaker level inputs, you could wire it in for the cost of the amp and the appropriate wire harness (roughly $20), but it still might not sound the best since the factory head unit is sending out a processed signal. If you replace the head unit, you don't have to use a line output converter or a DSP. I've been helping another member decide on upgrades to his system currently. In the non-JBL trucks, the door speakers are 2 ohms, and I'm guessing the speakers you installed are 4 ohms? If so, the factory amp probably only does around 50 watts at 2 ohms, and would be about half that at 4 ohms, hence why your speakers are lacking bass etc.

All in all, the 3 options are:

1) Replace the factory amp with an aftermarket one + wire harness and see how it sounds. Cheap option with built in automatic signal correction is a Kicker Key. Wire harness to integrate into factory is ~$20 from AutoHarnessHouse.

2) Replace the factory amp with an aftermarket one + line output converter with signal processing + wire harness. Guaranteed to sound good, mid level cost when factoring amp cost + LOC cost + wire harness.

3) Replace factory head unit with an aftermarket one + replace factory amp. Overall probably the highest cost but also guaranteed to sound good.

 

Thanks so far, I don't want to loose any of the few features of the stock radio and I'm sorta partial to it as is, that said I have nearly 300k miles on the truck and not sure if It will last another 3 or 300k miles so I definitely don't want to spend much more money! I think option 2 would be best for me Snert. What specific equipment would you recommend there. I don't want another window shattering system like what was in when I bought it!!

 

It will kind of also depend on a couple of things.

Which Rockford Fosgate speakers did you install recently? That will determine what kind of options you have for amps. I checked my stock door speakers and they are 35 watts at 2-ohms. That means at 4-ohms the factory amp is only sending roughly 20 watts, or even a little less, at 4-ohms to your new speakers. If they are around 50watts rms, that means they are getting only half or less of their RMS power.

Do you currently have subs installed or want subs installed? If you don't want or have subs, you could replace the stock amplifier with an aftermarket 4 channel amp that does around 50 watts RMS at 4-ohms to match your speakers. If you got an amp that accepts high level inputs, you could skip the line output converter but having it would probably help make the speakers better because the factory head unit removes bass to protect the factory speakers. With aftermarket speakers, you'd want that bass added back in since the speakers could handle it.

Route 1: Get the gear separate. I would go this route if you're speakers are high power and/or you have or want subs.

You can get an Audiocontrol LC7i for under $150: Amazon.com: AudioControl LC7i Black 6-Channel Line Output Converter with Bass Restoration : Electronics

You can get a "good" 4 channel amp from any of the big name brands for around $200, maybe a little more, maybe a little less: 4-channel Amplifiers at Crutchfield.com

Depending on the amp, a power wire kit would be around $25-$50.

The factory integration harness is roughly $20: Toyota Entune Amp Upgrade for Tundra and Tacoma (autoharnesshouse.com)

This route your total would be around $400.


Route 2: No subs, speakers are "moderate" power. I would go this route if you just want your door speakers to sound better for as little as possible, and as easy as possible.

If you don't have a subwoofer and don't want to add them, and your speakers are around 50 watts RMS, the cheapest "one-piece" solution would be a Kicker Key 200.4 for $280: Kicker 47KEY200.4 Compact 4-channel car amplifier with automatic tuning DSP — 50 watts RMS x 4 at Crutchfield
The nice thing about the Kicker Key is that it does the factory signal correction stuff for you. It's basically like combining the LC7i and a 4-channel amp into one piece of gear.

You'd still need the same factory integration harness as above for $20: Toyota Entune Amp Upgrade for Tundra and Tacoma (autoharnesshouse.com)

You would probably still need an amp wiring kit, but for the Kicker Key 200.4 the wiring kit from Crutchfield is only $15.

This route your total would be around $300.


These are the 2 routes I would go, and really it will depend on which Rockford Speakers you put in, and whether or not you currently have and want to keep, or don't have but want to add, a sub or subwoofers. If you don't have subs, but want to add a modest one for extra bass, let me know and I can go over options for that as well. If that is the case, you would want to go with route 1, so that you would get a good bass signal and output for it, and then you could either get a 5 channel amp or still go with a 4 channel amp, and get a self powered subwoofer.

 

For a nice budget system it really doesn't get better than the kicker key. For this, you wouldn't need an LC7i (line out converter) and it has an auto eq feature that automatically tunes your speakers for you to get the best sound. Plus, it's about the size of an iPhone! For $280, you seriously can't beat it.




https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20647KEY20/Kicker-47KEY200-4.html?tp=35782



And if you want some bass, the rockford fosgate powered 8" sub is hard to beat as well. For another $280 you get a sub, sub box, amp, and LOC all built into one tiny portable box. The box is only 5 5/8" tall so it will easily fit behind the rear seat since you have a crew max.



https://www.crutchfield.com/p_575P3008P/Rockford-Fosgate-P300-8P.html?tp=114


I'd still recommend you upgrade the headunit, but for an on a budget setup with the factory headunit this is what I'd do.

And you can keep all of your factory features with an aftermarket headunit as long as you buy the right harnesses! There's tons of radios to chose from! You could probably get a nice radio with all the bells and whistles for under $400. Obviously the more you spend the better, but if your a bare bones guy like my pops then carplay is all you really need.

 

If your curious, a "plug and play" $320 headunit with every harness needed for every feature costs around $600 shipped. Yes it's quite a lot of money, but 100% worth it in my honest opinion. I too have lots of miles on my Tundra (272k miles) but I just finished up a full audio system rebuild that costed me upwards of $5000 and I regret nothing. Take care of these trucks and they'll take care of you!

Added/retained features for this stereo include:
-vehicle info/gauges
-apple carplay/android auto
-preamp outputs
-retain steering wheel controls
-retain factory usb ports
-retain backup camera



https://www.crutchfield.com/p_613DMX709S/Kenwood-Excelon-DMX709S.html?cc=01

 

To add and expand on what Black Beauty 5.7 said, I think your biggest consideration right now will be budget, and mileage/condition of your truck. While a 10 year old 300K Tundra can still have plenty of life in it, I guess the question is do you think you'll stay in this truck until it dies, or even longer? Meaning if a big repair bill comes, do you think you'll decide to fix it, or look for something else? Just some things to ponder as you're thinking about things.

Now, that being said, another thing to think about/consider is that if you drop money on car audio gear, you can always take it out to install in a future vehicle. I'll say that most modern vehicles, but not all, can fit the "new" standard of touchscreen radios with roughly 7" screens. There's always exceptions to the rule, for example my wife's Mazda CX-5 has a stereo that is integrated into the dash and the screen is a longer narrower rectangle. Most vehicles, especially trucks that I've been in, have aftermarket dash trim kits that will allow aftermarket head units to fit.

As for head units, most newer head units are using something called "iDatalink". There are some old models still on websites like Crutchfield that don't, but it seems more and more manufacturers are starting to incorporate iDatalink, and for good reason. Having an iDatalink capable stereo means you need to buy an extra piece of equipment, in our case something called an iDatalink Maestro, but it allows you to retain all factory functions, and sometimes even add some new ones. For example, in our trucks, the iDatalink can access OBD info and give you info from gauges right on your stereo. The nice thing about an iDatalink Maestro is that while it's another cost, it's more or less a universal piece of equipment that can be programmed for just about any make or model.

To break down the costs of everything:

New Stereo: $300-$500 on average. There are more expensive stereos, and cheaper, but I wouldn't go cheaper than about $300.

Install Gear For New Stereo: $100-$300 depending on the stereo, and which way you choose to integrate it with the factory system. This will generally include all the wiring harnesses, and a dash trim kit for replacing a stock stereo. The Maestro unit is about $170 by itself, but again, you can take it out and use it in almost any vehicle.

Amplifier: $150-$500+: I give a wide range here, because it depends on how many channels the amp has and your goals. A 4 channel amp to power 4 doors can be anywhere from $150-$300 on average. A mono or 1 channel subwoofer amp will cost about the same, $150-$300. If you combine the two into one, and get a 5 channel amp, you're probably looking more in the $300-$500 range.

Subwoofer(s): $200-$500+: Again, I give a wide range here because it depends on the route you go. An individual subwoofer will be around $150-$300+. If you want 2 subs, that cost doubles. Same goes for a subwoofer box. A box for a single subwoofer might be $50-$100. A box for two or more subs will probably be $150-$300+. A cheaper option is to get a self powered subwoofer like the one Black Beauty 5.7 linked. Here, you get a smaller sub, that has a built in amplifier, all wrapped into a neat little box, for under $300. I would wager to say that a small powered subwoofer would suffice and be enough bass for the average person, but if you like a lot of bass, a standalone subwoofer or pair of subs, powered off of a 5 channel or mono block amplifier would be a better route to go.

Speakers: $75-$300+ Per Pair: Sounds like you recently installed some Rockford Fosgates, great choice! Again, like with a stereo, there are cheaper or more expensive options. I wouldn't go much less than about $75 per pair. Power handling, materials, and specs all affect price in different ways.

Miscellaneous Install Gear: $100-$250. For example, an amp wiring kit is usually $50-$100 (under $50 for a smaller amp). An amp rack to attach your new gear to is also roughly $50-$100. Tools like wire crimpers, connectors, heat shrink tubing etc. can all be had for super cheap on Amazon or Harbor Freight, but still add probably another $25-$50 depending on if you already have tools.

Given all of these costs, things can quickly add up! I realize not everyone has hundreds or thousands of dollars to drop on car audio stuff. The nice thing about car audio is that if/when you decide to sell a vehicle, so long as keep the stock radio, amp, speakers etc. you can simply swap them back in before selling. The 2 main things you will lose when doing car audio are time (and time is money like they say), and in my lazy case, wiring. In all car audio builds I've done, when I go to sell a vehicle, I'll take the time to swap back in the stock stereo, speakers if I still have them, and remove my new stereo, my new speakers, and any amps, subs, or other gear I've installed. Really the only thing I will leave behind is wiring since I'm lazy and would rather just pay for new wiring in my next vehicle, like amp power cable, or RCA cables, rather than taking apart trim throughout and whatnot to pull wiring.


There are a lot of options and routes you could go. The cheapest plug and play to make your speakers sound better would be the Kicker Key discussed above. If your system was still lacking bass, I would then add a powered subwoofer. Both of these could be installed in probably a few hours time. Uninstalling them and reinstalling the factory amp would be way faster, probably less than an hour. Adding a new stereo would gain you features like Apple Carplay or Android Auto, among other things. Adding a 5 channel amp, or a 4 channel and a mono amp, would really get your system bumping with bass. It all comes down to budget and how much time, energy, and money you want to put into the system. If minimal time/energy/money is your goal, I would start with the Kicker Key 4 channel, factory integration harness, and an amp rack to house it. That would almost definitely make your speakers sound better, but full transparency they might still be lacking some bass. If that were the case, I would then get a small powered sub. If you're thinking you'll ride this truck out, or want the big upgrade, I would look at doing a new stereo, a new amp, and either standalone or powered subwoofer(s).

The Kicker Key route would be around $400 all in for the amp. Add another $200-$300 for a powered subwoofer. The only downside here is that if you keep the stock stereo, you'd be using the signal going to the factory speakers for a subwoofer signal. The fix to that would be to either A) get an LC7i and separate amp from the get go, or B) get the Kicker Key, see how it sounds, and if you want to add a sub, get a powered sub and an Audiocontrol LC2i that would add back in bass for the sub.

 

No such thing as "plug and play amps"
you'll need to run a wire from the battery. If a company says their kits are "plug and play" they are full of shit.....coughtacotunescough

There are some very small amps that you could theoretically power from existing 18-20ga power wire, but i wouldn't trust it.

 

Kicker says the Kicker Key 200.4 can be ran off head unit power wire, but recommends running a dedicated power wire of 14 gauge to the battery. The wire kit I linked is only $15 and is 12 gauge. I too wouldn't run it off the factory wiring. I think what Tunes from Tacos others mean when they say plug and play is more in regards to the speaker wire/rca/factory signal connections. I'd hope anyone looking to install an aftermarket amp would know that sufficient power wire is necessary, but then again I've seen people wire amps with speaker wire lmao.

 

Thanks Snert and Black Beauty, I really appreciate all this information and it definitely will be what I use to make a decision on what option I use!! I've been so busy building a Willys for a friend of mine I keep putting this on the back burner and now I'm spending my money on other things like guns and fishing trips! I will definitely let you both know what I decided to go with, thanks again.

 

I have the JBL in a 2019. I got an amp with built in DSP and a ported box/10inch Infiniti sub for $750. Got it from Taylor's Audio. After a lot of tweeking the amp, I have it sounding fantastic. You should contact and ask if he can do anything for non JBL.

 

What tweaking did you do to the amp? I thought he sets the amp up prior to shipping? Some have said they added more bass into the door speakers. Any other info or tips on this amp? I have his sub and box but still not decided on the amp. Would you buy it again? How well does it power the sub?

 

I ordered the Hertz speakers after the amp shipped, and it was set up for the stock speakers. It did not sound good so I started making adjustments until I hit the sweet spot.

 

How well does it power the sub?

 

The amp has gotten many good reviews. I bought it because I didn't want to replace the head unit. James has a special wiring harness included and installed on the amp that lets it piggyback off the stock amp. As far as the sub, it has more than enough power. It's too much for me if I crank it all the way up. I would definitely buy it again.

 

Gnarly...

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Well with the risk of driving everyone on here nuts that have helped me out, first id like to say I really appreciate and thank you for all your help so far. As you can probably tell by now this is obviously not a big priority, but it does bug me every day about how shit my stock system is!! I jumped on here a few days ago to make a decision and am leaning towards getting a new head unit and thought I was going to buy the one recommended above only to learn it's unavailable directly through crutchfield. I found it on Amazon and my question is would this and the wiring harness they claim is included will get me working!!??

$349 KENWOOD DMX709S eXcelon 6.95" Capacitive Touch Screen, Car Stereo, CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, AM/FM HD Radio, MP3 Player, USB Port, Double DIN, 13-Band EQ, SiriusXM

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7QCSCWG


These are the speakers I bought and installed if any of this helps;

 

Not sure why that link to Crutchfield says it's not available, guessing it's an old model or something, the same Kenwood headunit can be found here on Crutchfield: Kenwood Excelon DMX709S Digital multimedia receiver (does not play discs) at Crutchfield It's on sale right now for $350, to retain steering wheel controls etc. Crutchfield offers/recommends the iDatalink Maestro and harnesses for an additional $280. For a cheaper option, I believe this page on Auto Harness House should have alternative head unit harness options: Toyota Stereo Adapters (2013-2018) - Tundra, Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry (autoharnesshouse.com)

As far as those speakers/compatibility, nice choice! You still have the factory amp in place correct? If so, in addition to a new head unit, a 4 or 5 channel amp to power your new door speakers would be a good idea to really liven them up. The factory door speakers are 2 ohms and maybe 30 watts or so, whereas your new speakers are 4 ohms and 75 watts and 60 watts, meaning they're being underpowered pretty significantly by the factory amp.

 

Thank you so much Snert, I do still have the factory amp and believe I will go with the new head unit and harness you recommended. I guess I can look at it this way, I don't have a 700-1200 dollar a month payment which this truck was the highest Ive ever had at about 560 a month and now its paid off, maybe I could splurge a smidge to improve a few things. The only trouble I'm having is I just finished tearing ALL the aftermarket GARBAGE out and off of this truck and I'm reluctant to start adding things back into it!! Its like driving a modern running vehicle with 1970's features, I have cruise control and that's about the only self driving feature that I can handle!! I just drove 27 hours to Texas in my father's 2019 and if it told me to stay in my lane one more time I may stripped the truck down to its frame to rid those sensors

 

Hahaha yeah I get that, that's how my wife's car is, lane departure, braking warnings, you name it. The one luxury I miss in my truck is blind spot radar. I still always turn and look but it's nice to have the extra layer of safety with the little lights. I may eventually add it into my truck following RainManPNW's guide.

If you don't want to replace the head unit, the other option would be to just replace the factory amp. I just finished installing a sub in my wife's Mazda CX-5 that has Bose and I had originally been using an Audiocontrol line output converter with Accubass but swapped it out for a Kicker Key LOC and man, what a night and day difference. You could keep your factory head unit, and swap in the Kicker Key 4 channel amp and you'd probably have really good sound. The Kicker Key amps/LOC have an auto-dsp feature that's super easy to use, basically you play some test tracks and press one button on the Kicker and it analyzes the factory sound and then fixes it back to a flat signal. The difference between the Kicker Key and Audiocontrol was night and day.

 

Okay thanks again Snert, I bet I'll make a decision soon because I can't take this sound anymore!!

 

I installed a Kicker Key 200.4 in my 2024 w/out JBL. It's everything the stock system should have been! It's not that hard to install but it does take some time to connect and wire everything. I just wanted something acceptable and if it sounded like this from the factory, the thought to change or upgrade anything would never cross my mind.

 

I installed the Kicker Key mono in my wife's CX-5 to add a sub to the factory bose system and it sounds wayyy better than the Audiocontrol LCi I was using previously. I think bang for your buck there's not a better factory upgrade solution. The Key allows you to keep the factory head unit in any vehicle, get 4x50w @ 4 ohms and 150w/300w/500w @ 4/2/1 ohm respectively. MSRP of $280 for each = $560, grab some decent speakers like the JL Audio C1 components/coaxials for $150/$120, that are power matched to the 4 channel Kicker, necessary wiring for $50-$100 and a shallow loaded pre-fab sub for $200 and you've got a whole system for around $1,000 that would sound fantastic.

 

Agreed. I painstakingly spent wayyyy too much time researching cheap and easy speaker upgrades and systems. After 10 years in a GM truck I never thought I'd have to modify OEM sound system. Even my wife, who doesn't care at all about audio quality, said the Toyota sucked.

I plan to replace the stock front speakers and run the kicker in bi amp mode. I bought everything at once but the speakers are held up in shipping. I probably wouldn't have bought the speakers if I knew how much better just the kicker amp would be on its own.

As for the plug and play beat sonic units. I'd imagine they are better than stock but I couldn't justify the money not knowing exactly how it sounded. If I didn't like it then I'd be buying an amp and starting over. Crutchfield right now is about 367 for the kicker, t harness, speed wire, and 4g wire kit to potentially upgrade with another amp later on. I don't think there's a better value upgrade out there.

 

I finally made a decision and went with the Key 200 !! Its louder and manageable but I might now upgrade the speakers at some point.

 

Nice great choice! I think for the price, footprint, and ease of install the Kicker Key amps are phenomenal. I think with the increase of manufacturers having proprietary shaped radio sizes etc. that dsp amps, specifically those with auto-dsp functions will be the future of car audio amps.