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Head Unit Upgrade on 2014 Prius Two

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by dragonrand, Oct 3, 2016.

  1. dragonrand

    dragonrand Junior Member

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    2005 Prius
    I'm going to look at a used 2014 Prius Two this evening. I still drive a 2005 Prius with Package VI, so I've become accustomed to (and still like) the JBL premium sound. I understand the Prius two has a thoroughly mediocre stock audio system. I'd prefer to find a used Gen III that's at least a Four so I get the JBL premium audio, but this Two appears to be a great deal. I think I owe it to myself to see what a good audio upgrade would cost, and what compromises I might have to make peace with if I pull out the stock audio.

    The sticky thread about the 2010 upgrade is awesome, but noted that at the time of installation, that HU from (I think?) Pioneer was already several years old on the market. I'm wondering if there are threads out there that discuss in a similar way to the 2010 thread, but with newer aftermarket HUs installed in newer GEN IIIs. So far I haven't found them.

    The OP of that thread also mentioned that the stock speakers sounded quite good with the higher-powered HU, but was still lacking highs. I'm curious - could I simply add the JBL tweeters sold for the premium sound to the Two? And possibly also swap out the stock base speakers for the JBLs in the doors?

    Thanks - any and all comments and guidance are appreciated.

    Bryan
     
  2. FrankB

    FrankB Member

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    Model:
    II
    I think the Gen 3 stock speakers compare poorly to a base Gen 2 Prius. I replaced the front door and dash speakers but kept the stock head unit and I am very pleased with the high and low end. It's not super loud but I think the quality is good.
     
  3. StarCaller

    StarCaller Senior Member

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    Model:
    Two
    getting decent front door speakers helps a lot ////
     
  4. StarCaller

    StarCaller Senior Member

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    Two
    getting decent front door speakers helps a lot ////
     
  5. dragonrand

    dragonrand Junior Member

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    Thanks for all the replies.

    I got the VIN and looked it up. The seller thought it was a Two, but according to Free VIN number decoder for any cars, the trim level is Four.

    I took it for a test drive yesterday evening, and I made a point to play my iPhone thru the system with music I'm familiar with. I listened to it at rest, and while driving. The volume level was fine, but compared to my GenII Package VI with the premium JBL system, the sound lacked clarity and fullness. I think the JBL tweeters in the front corners near ear level in my Gen II have spoiled me! I'd have a hard time enjoying my music in that system. (I used "Fanfare for the Common Man" on the Telarc label, recorded by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops. Powerful bass thumps, and brassy horns without a lot of competition from other instruments to evaluate clarity!)

    From my online research, I understand the Four comes standard with JBL Premium sound, but I don't recall seeing any JBL logos anywhere in the cockpit or on the speaker grilles. In my Gen II, the JBL logo is found on the strut tweeters, but not on the grilles of the door speakers. Does anyone know if the JBL logo should be visible anywhere on a 2014 Four, and if so, where? How about a backup camera? I didn't see that mentioned anywhere in the lists of trim levels (found in an AutoTrader article) and I don't recall the display showing a backup view when I backed out. So now I'm really wondering what trim level this car is. Should the VIN be absolutely authoritative?

    Regardless of whether this is a Two or a Four, I'm considering the Pumpkin android unit as a drop-in replacement, in the hopes that the amp is better and that I'll get more clarity from the existing speakers.

    I once tried a speaker upgrade in my Gen II when I thought one of my front speakers was blown. It didn't sound like an upgrade - the low end lost all punch and the system didn't have nearly as natural and balanced a sound as with the stock speakers. I returned them for a refund and replaced the bad speaker with the proper speaker from my local Toyota dealer. The stock system had matched components that were all designed to work together, and IMO it sounds pretty damn good for a factory system.

    So, if I swap my stock head unit with a Pumpkin (or something else that drops neatly into the factory space), and if there's no separate JBL amp hidden somewhere in the car, then it may make sense for me to consider replacing all the speakers.

    If I go look at the car again, what are some clear options I can look for to confirm what trim line this car actually is?
     
  6. Vman455

    Vman455 Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    A different headunit (different amp) won't get you more clarity, just the ability to go louder if it puts out more peak power. Of course, if you at the same time put in new speakers with a lower sensitivity, they will take more power to get the same decibel output.

    The reason you felt like you lost some low end on your prior speaker installation is because you probably did; every speaker has unique parameters--resonant frequency, power handling, cone material, size, etc.--that affects what frequency range it will reproduce, and many aftermarket and high-end speakers have narrower frequency ranges than OEM speakers (for example, the midbass driver I'm using now is only happy down to around 45-50 Hz; the manufacturer assumes that anyone using it will have a subwoofer as well).

    The key to good sound quality out of any system is tuning. If you want better sound, start with the speakers; the headunit isn't going to make any difference (even the Two headunit, which I'm still using, puts out a very clean signal). Then, listening to the drivers in pairs (midbass with midbass, tweeter with tweeter, etc.), flip the polarity on one speaker at a time and listen to what happens to the sound. If it sounds like the staging gets higher or more focused, that's generally good (generally, because you also want depth and width; you should be shooting for a soundstage that mimics as closely as possible what the microphone heard when the recording was made. In a well-tuned car, you should be able to close your eyes and pinpoint exactly where the trumpets are sitting in the Copland, for instance). When you have each pair of speakers polarized correctly, then listen to everything and flip one side of the car at a time and see what happens, playing with the polarity of each set of speakers. This will get you 90% of the way to fantastic sound, in any car; the remaining 10% is where speaker placement, equalization, and time alignment come into play. It takes a lot of time and effort to tune a sound system, which most people don't realize; you can't just drop in some new speakers and expect something good to come out of it unless your expectations are very low.