Wanted: your opinions of custom audio set-up

Welcome to PC. Need more imput about the budget, have you installed before, functions you need and want, ect...

 

Your speakers do 100W continuous.
The KTP-445 puts out 45Wx4.
You loose base going from factory 6"x9" to 6 1/2" door speakers.

If you must go Alpine, use the PDX-5 Amp, 75Wx4 + 300W, and add a sub in back. You save $$$$ using what you have, it just needs a little help. I use a JL HD900/5, but that's me.

 

Understood. Then of the "current" Alpine 4-channel amps, the one I would recommend for your speakers is the PDX-F4. Metra and Scosche have the only single DIN dash kits I know of. These two companies and PAC Audio have most everything you need for installation.

Alpine Electronics of America, Inc.
Metra Online | Welcome to Metra Auto Parts Online Warehouse
Welcome to Scosche Industries
iPod Integration for your car and More by Pac-Audio - Connecting you to the future


"I have installed before...in nearly every car I've owned...which is why I'm questioning if I need to do it here."

No one likes the Prius Base radio, so they settle for the factory JBL @ $1K to $3k. Trust "your" ears and question anything a car sales person says.

 

Well I've been driving mine for about 5 months now, like yourself, mine comes with the standard 6CD HU & 8 speakers.
My opinion is that if you want better sound, which I'm frankly happy with mine, upgrade the amps & speakers.
As for the HU, looking at the prices of a decent HU, I would consider an alternative choice of leaving the HU as it is & incorporate a touchpad to play a decent library of soundtracks, flexible viewing for movies & built-in GPS. At the same time, you can have the portability of bring it around to do some websurfing or reading when you're not driving.
Just my two cents worth!

 

The stock non-JBL system is seriously lacking, the JBL is nothing to write home about either.

You plan to try it without an amp is a good one too. Depending on the SPL you want and the amount of bass, the stock non-JBL might do what you want if you use efficient speakers and prep the doors like I did.

A few of us on the forum have replaced the speakers on a non-JBL system and gotten remarkable results using lesser (as judged by price) speakers than you are planning on using. Take that as encouragement to buy better speakers if you know what you want.

Since you can change the head unit and/or the speakers, I would suggest going in this order.

1. Replace the speakers because the stock speakers are cheap, lightweight and poor quality. When you replace the speakers take particular pains to make a sealed, vibration damped installation in the doors. Here's my step by step version, there are also other write-ups on the site but I think I did the damping and step by step comparison in a useful way for someone deciding what to do. Note that my speaker selection was based on a good price and success by others, ot a real comparison. Odds are you have $elected better speakers.

I chose to skip the peel & seal and go right to Dynamat Extreme. I got enough to do a good job on all 4 doors with some left over for $120 from Amazon. It was too much work to install properly to risk using peel & seal. http://www.amazon.com/Dynamat-10455-Xtreme-Bulk-Sheets/dp/B00020CB2SThe price is up a bit, the 36 sq feet was $120 when I got it.

How I did the door speakers
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ics/93817-gen-3-non-jbl-spearker-upgrade.html

The dash speakers also made a major difference. Here's how I did them, heavily influenced by Spiderman's installation
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...275-gen-iii-non-jbl-dash-speaker-upgrade.html

Then, if the speaker changes don't get you what you want, change the head unit. Don't do it in the reverse order, no matter how good your head unit is, the cheap stock speakers will still sound like cheap stock speakers.

I did change my head unit, but only because I wanted ahead unit with built in NAV. I got a Rosen Nav with no external amp which sounds somewhat better than the non-JBL but it didn't make as much improvement as the speaker changes and door prep did.

 

We used Cache for sound barrier. Was thicker and cheaper than Dynamat. I am hesitant about the "Peel and Stick" from Home Depot. I recommend Quad Shield RCAs from HU to amp, which is under my Passenger seat. High potential for signal interference in this car. Cross overs are under Drivers seat, but there may be room in the forward kick panels. Running speaker wire was easy except rear door pillars. There, 2 unused pin holes each side were drilled in the pillar disconnect block to pass the 16ga twisted, rest you just bypass, jump and run through the boots. The console, pillar, dash, kick and door panels come off pretty easy. Most of this info is in here. Remember the 2 screw on the doors, the screws on the kick panels and the clip you "must rotate" on the A-pillar. Both Metra and Sosche face plate kits for the dash are painted and "do not" match the grain. I used MDF for the speaker mounts. These suggestions apply to Prius II Base radio system. If you go JBL, there are is a whole different set of problems and costs to consider.

PS Johnsky88 has the JBL.

 

Wish you well.

 

Don't get the Metra surround - see this thread.
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...g-metra-surround-buy-scosche.html#post1373965

 

Thanks, no chance to open it up to have a look, but like I say, it sounds fine.