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YungFalconPunch

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
I have a 2022 Rav4 Hybrid SE without the JBL sound system. I replaced the dash speakers with Infinity Reference REF-3032cfx speakers and the front door speakers with Infinity Reference REF-6532ex speakers. I am considering doing the rear speakers as well. I have noticed the sound quality has improved quite a bit with the new speakers. I can hear the song with more clarity and it sounds much more cleaner and vibrant compared to the cheap stock speakers. The bass is either the same or slightly less than the stock unit unless I adjust the sound settings on the headunit.

And to be honest, I am clueless when it comes to watts/ohm/RMS and all other audio terms and technicalities. I've looked through this forum and other places but I was looking to get a simple answer to the questions I have, or links to posts that have discussed this topic that I may have not read yet.

My questions are:
1) Will I need an amp to go along with the door speakers and future rear speakers? I've read on here and other places that an amp is required to get more out of the door speakers. If so, which amp would you recommend to go along with my set up? I will go to a car audio place to get them installed.

2) Would getting an amp help increase bass out put from the speakers?

3) I heard some crackling/popping noises coming from the dash speakers when I was listening to a bass-heavy song. Google tells me to check the wire connection but could there be any other causes?

4) Would you recommend swapping the Infinity speakers to another brand?

5) I was told by a friend that installing an amp will interfere with noise cancellation and toyota safety features (blind spot, lane departure etc). Is that true?

Any help is appreciated! Sorry for sounding like a newbie, but I am new to all of this so I want to ensure I am doing this properly.
 
#2 ·
Adding an amplifier will improve the sound and bass output at higher volume levels. Using a high pass filter (bass blocker) on the dash speakers will also help with the cone breakup at higher volume levels. Any four channel amplifier around 40-50 watts rms should work for your setup.
 
#4 ·
YungFalconPunch said:
I have a 2022 Rav4 Hybrid SE without the JBL sound system. I replaced the dash speakers with Infinity Reference REF-3032cfx speakers and the front door speakers with Infinity Reference REF-6532ex speakers. I am considering doing the rear speakers as well. I have noticed the sound quality has improved quite a bit with the new speakers. I can hear the song with more clarity and it sounds much more cleaner and vibrant compared to the cheap stock speakers. The bass is either the same or slightly less than the stock unit unless I adjust the sound settings on the headunit.

And to be honest, I am clueless when it comes to watts/ohm/RMS and all other audio terms and technicalities. I've looked through this forum and other places but I was looking to get a simple answer to the questions I have, or links to posts that have discussed this topic that I may have not read yet.

My questions are:
1) Will I need an amp to go along with the door speakers and future rear speakers? I've read on here and other places that an amp is required to get more out of the door speakers. If so, which amp would you recommend to go along with my set up? I will go to a car audio place to get them installed.

2) Would getting an amp help increase bass out put from the speakers?

3) I heard some crackling/popping noises coming from the dash speakers when I was listening to a bass-heavy song. Google tells me to check the wire connection but could there be any other causes?

4) Would you recommend swapping the Infinity speakers to another brand?

5) I was told by a friend that installing an amp will interfere with noise cancellation and toyota safety features (blind spot, lane departure etc). Is that true?

Any help is appreciated! Sorry for sounding like a newbie, but I am new to all of this so I want to ensure I am doing this properly.
Click to expand...
Ya like the other guy said for the dash soeakers it's the bass blowing them up. Even blue bass blockers didn't work for me. They crackled until I rewired my 4 door speakers to an amplifier and left the dash speakers only connected to the factory set up. Car audio is not expensive or even difficult if you read and use youtube and this forum. Have fun choosing all your new sound system stuff.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
I appreciate the help guys! I also did a deep dive in this forum and found much more relevant information. I went to a couple of local car audio places and decided to go with a full redo on my sound system. Going to return all the infinity reference stuff and install focal performance 165as in the front and 165ac in the rear with a 4 channel amp.
 
#6 ·
YungFalconPunch said:
I appreciate the help guys! I also did a deep dive in this forum and found much more relevant information. I went to a couple of local car audio places and decided to go with a full redo on my sound system. Going to return all the infinity reference stuff and install focal performance 165as in the front and 165ac in the rear with a 4 channel amp.
Click to expand...
Oh wow focal that's some money 🤑. Gonna sound nice though. And if you have the car a few years why not? When you hear the difference it's gonna make you grin. Keep us updated.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
RetiredGamer said:
Oh wow focal that's some money 🤑. Gonna sound nice though. And if you have the car a few years why not? When you hear the difference it's gonna make you grin. Keep us updated.
Click to expand...
Lol yup. I wasn't trying to spend that much but I went to 4 different audio places to get quotes and info and they all recommended the Focal speaker set up rather than adding on to my Infinity set up. The place I went to was also the priciest out of the 4 but I've heard nothing but good things about them and they have a great warranty/replacement policy compared to the other places. They also gave me $250 off of window tinting and blacking out the chrome so I feel like I got a solid deal all things considered. Their customer service was exceptional and the guy took his time explaining different options I could go with.

Hoping to get it done sometime this upcoming week. After it's installed, I'll reply with an update!
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Sienna1 said:
Just curious….. amp model? Should consider a five channel amp for possible sub at a later date. Not sure if that’s your liking.
Click to expand...
I'd wanna say it's the JL XDM400/4 amp. I don't have the paperwork quote with me but I can confirm later.

I did think about adding a subwoofer but I was reading on this forum and I saw people were talking about how a set up with subwoofer can drain the hybrid battery so that would hinder my mpg. I have to be honest, this audio stuff doesn't make a lot of sense to me but I'd wanna stay on the safe side and not deal with any potential issues. I also didn't want to lose trunk space or get the subwoofer that sits in the spare tire area.
 
#10 ·
YungFalconPunch said:
I'd wanna say it's the JL XDM400/4 amp. I don't have the paperwork quote with me but I can confirm later.

I did think about adding a subwoofer but I was reading on this forum and I saw people were talking about how a set up with subwoofer can drain the hybrid battery so that would hinder my mpg. I have to be honest, this audio stuff doesn't make a lot of sense to me but I'd wanna stay on the safe side and not deal with any potential issues. I also didn't want to lose trunk space or get the subwoofer that sits in the spare tire area.
Click to expand...
Nice amp you bought. JL is top of the line too. So far I have two amps for the last 3 years. No issues stock battery, the monitor looks good. I have a gas RAV4. I have other things hooked up to the battery and no issues. Foot and door sill lights that come on when the door is open. And some front led lights. The battery monitor always shows good volts. I leave my car for weeks when I travel and it always starts up.
Image

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Image

Image
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Discussion starter · #11 ·
RetiredGamer said:
Nice amp you bought. JL is top of the line too. So far I have two amps for the last 3 years. No issues stock battery, the monitor looks good. I have a gas RAV4. I have other things hooked up to the battery and no issues. Foot and door sill lights that come on when the door is open. And some front led lights. The battery monitor always shows good volts. I leave my car for weeks when I travel and it always starts up. View attachment 192352
View attachment 192354
View attachment 192351
View attachment 192353
View attachment 192355 View attachment 192357
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Wow what a set up! Which speakers are you running?
I'm gonna rethink my set up and consider a 5 channel amp with a subwoofer but i'll see how much it increases my total cost.
 
#12 · (Edited)
YungFalconPunch said:
Wow what a set up! Which speakers are you running?
I'm gonna rethink my set up and consider a 5 channel amp with a subwoofer but i'll see how much it increases my total cost.
Click to expand...
Here is my speakers I saw their review on YouTube and that's why I got them it was something like best 6.5 speaker for the money. Out of $100 category for bass and mids. They actually dropped in price. I got alpines in the front and then I wanted to try the NVX brand in the back. I made sure they had silk dome tweeters so It wasn't harsh on the highs. I had kicker ds 6.5 previously but got rid of them. They didn't go deep enough on the cone to produce much bass. The sub I have a 12 in audiopipe it was like $30 dollars and just won't die so I can't justify a new one. I take it out if I have to fill up the trunk which was like 3 times in 3 years. 2 amps just means more money spent on wiring. I just did not want to waste the fact I had a new 4 channel amp sitting around never used. Make sure you use copper wire so you get full power for your set up stay away for CCA copper clad aluminum wire. 4 gauge is the minimum. 1 kicker amp 400w and one DS18 1600w to the 4 speakers. The dash I left alone connected to stock head unit. As you can see I didn't spend much. Probably everything is about $1100. Amps $400, speakers $200, sub and box $60, wiring etc $200, audio control thing $200, misc $80. Always been happy with alpine speakers in the past and so far I really like the NVX brand also. I listen to everything from rock, old rap, raegaton, pop, whatever.
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#14 ·
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YungFalconPunch said:
Quick update:

I decided to save some money and alter my set up.
I currently have the Infinity Reference 3032cfx dash speakers and 6532ex front door speakers. I ordered another pair of 6532ex for the rear doors. After speaking with crutchfield, they recommended the Alpine S-A55v amp with the Kicker 48TCWRT82 subwoofer so I ordered those. I also ordered some sound deadener to apply to all the doors. I think this budget set up should be feasible for the future and if I am underwhelmed, I'll go ahead with the Focal set up or something more premium than my current planned set up.
Click to expand...
Nah should be great what is that a five channel amp and what size sub? 10-12? I had to look it up lol I was curious. It's all about getting the best value for the price you spend. If possible don't go cheap on the wiring that's all just get at least 4 gauge pure copper. CCA loses some voltage way faster. Let me show you what I used to have. Not to mention it began to corrode. The copper clad aluminum is the green. And the pure copper is the red.this was the best priced I found. Anyhow have fun get it up and running.
Image

4 Gauge 4 AWG 30 Feet Red Welding... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY9V9M5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Image
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
RetiredGamer said:
View attachment 192492

Nah should be great what is that a five channel amp and what size sub? 10-12? I had to look it up lol I was curious. It's all about getting the best value for the price you spend. If possible don't go cheap on the wiring that's all just get at least 4 gauge pure copper. CCA loses some voltage way faster. Let me show you what I used to have. Not to mention it began to corrode. The copper clad aluminum is the green. And the pure copper is the red.this was the best priced I found. Anyhow have fun get it up and running.
View attachment 192494
4 Gauge 4 AWG 30 Feet Red Welding... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY9V9M5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
View attachment 192493
Click to expand...
This is the subwoofer I got, it's a 8'
www.crutchfield.com

Kicker 48TCWRT82

Truck-style sealed enclosure with single 8" CompRT® subwoofer and passive radiator
www.crutchfield.com www.crutchfield.com

Thanks for the heads up on the wires! I'll be sure to get the good quality 4 gauge ones when it's time to install!
 
#17 ·
Looking sharp!
I had some static/white noise as well after I installed an amp. I take it they/you routed the speaker out of the OEM head-unit to the amp and then back to the speaker harness?
If that is the case, maybe have a look at the line input level of the amp.

When I turned that down to 3 on my amp the static was gone.
 
#18 ·
YungFalconPunch said:
Alrighty so here is an update! I did a 180 with my planned speaker set up lol

I ditched the infinity reference speakers after hearing what the Focal speakers sounded like in a vehicle they had in the shop..

Here's what I ended up with:
  • Focal 165AS for the dash and front door speakers
  • Focal 165ac for the rear door speakers
  • JL AUDIO CP110-W0V3 10 inch subwoofer
  • Alpine S-A55v 5 channel amp
  • Front windshield tinted at I believe 75%, both front doors at 25%, rear doors at 5%, and rear windshield at 15%
  • Blacked out chrome/silver trim on the front and rear bumper, and all 4 doors at the top.
  • Red color wrap for the rear toyota emblem, AWD emblem on both rear doors, and the hybrid/trim emblem as well.

All in all, I am loving this new look and the sound system is amazing. The only drawback is that there is static noise emitting from the speakers when the car is on. Even with the radio off (no music playing), the static is still there. I can't hear the static when music is playing but its there. The shop thinks its due to the mic's that are in the car but I will take the car back to them next week to get it looked at/fixed.

Things left to do:
  • Get the static noise fixed
  • Apply sound deadening to all 4 doors
  • Apply sound deadening to the trunk area if sound deadening the doors doesn't make a big difference
  • Look into options about replacing the front toyota emblem with a red one. I've read that the sensors in the front emblem can cause issues when replacing or covering the emblem so I'm not sure what my options are there.

Here are some pictures:
View attachment 192703

View attachment 192704




View attachment 192705

View attachment 192706

View attachment 192707
Click to expand...
Looks great! Hey the static noise is it your RCA cables run too close to your power line to your amps? That usually is the cause I found in the past.
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
NLV6 said:
Looking sharp!
I had some static/white noise as well after I installed an amp. I take it they/you routed the speaker out of the OEM head-unit to the amp and then back to the speaker harness?
If that is the case, maybe have a look at the line input level of the amp.

When I turned that down to 3 on my amp the static was gone.
Click to expand...
RetiredGamer said:
Looks great! Hey the static noise is it your RCA cables run too close to your power line to your amps? That usually is the cause I found in the past.
Click to expand...
I'm not too sure how they wired it but I'll take a look at the amp and LOC this week to see if I can adjust anything to fix it. The shop I went to insists the white noise is completely normal and that they can't fix it. I feel like they are too lazy to take a look at it so I'll have to find another place to get it checked out if I'm unable to find a fix. People on reddit think it could be the LOC, amp gain, or that the headunit is sending noisy signals.
 
#20 ·
Hmm it's not normal. It's also annoying lol. That static. Maybe it's gain, I had a lot of Locs in the past even cheapo ones and never had static. Here is what I was saying about the RCA cable. If they ran it with the amplifier power cord it will pick up the sound of your cars electricity. Usually people run the power on one side of the car and the RCA on the other. The installer would know. Not sure how your set up is routed. You could just lift up a door sill and see how your wires are all routed. It's either on the passenger or driver side unless your battery is somewhere else other than the engine bay. There is an example of mine below sorry I took it after a trip so the car is dirty. But thats the power line solo. Hope you get it sorted out.
Image
 
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