Complete upgrade of the 2013-2018 Toyota Avalon audio system



As I mentioned in my post reflecting on the Wireless Apple CarPlay Experience, I finished upgrading my 2016 Toyota Avalon stereo with the addition of a wireless CarPlay and Android Auto Pioneer W8400NEX, a 5-channel infinity 4555a amplifier delivering an anticipated but not measured 260 watts RMS into the 4x Infinity Reference 3-way 6x9's and the 4 2-way Infinitey Reference 3.5" speakers that are located on the drivers door and rear deck, as well as the front dash and rear seats door panels respectively.  The subwoofer channel on the infinity 4555a amplifier was driving a newly added 2-ohm selected (4-ohm option) Infinity Kappa 1200 subwoofer with 500 watts rms.

The 4555a seems much more sensitive on the 4-channel full spectrum side, or at least through the speakers tested, and  needed no increase in the gain vs. the subwoofer which was measured to clip, using the buzz method of listening at 100hz, at 1/3, or "10-clock position" on the gain dial  Also interesting to note turning the bassboost to 0db doesn't flatten the response but also attenuates the vast output to the subwoofer,  The bass boost was dialed into to approximately "9-clock position on the dial.


The head unit is an immediate and measured improvement over the stock sound signal.  The sound is clear, but with stock speakers the head unit amplifier began to distort at about 17-20 on the volume settings and the music never showed a dynamic excitement which I have enjoyed in some of the new audio premium B&O car audio audi sound systems and the equivalent premium audio in the Mercedes Benz both of which I have experienced.



Upgrading the amplifier added the dynamic excitement, and the 5-channel driving the aforementioned speakers provided a pretty good balance of sound which was fun and sounded good. 

Honestly the sub-woofer is not bad, but it is a bit, underwhelming in terms of size and ability to hit subsonic notes that may add to the feel of the music combined with cabin-effect.

I may upgrade this subwoofer to a slightly smaller height 10" but more premium sub like the 10" JL W6v3 or an 8" JL W7, as the cutout in the cargo area for more cargo in the naturally aspirated v-6 3.5L driveline, is slightly too high for this 12" woofer and box.  The woofer does look beautiful though and seems to be tough enough.


The stock speakers have been holding up pretty well.  I would like the auto-eq program the car with the pioneer head unit, but unfortunately have not been able to trigger the Auto-EQ illumination but once, which after I turned my car off and on per the directions to eliminate engine noise, did not seem to complete.

My biggest complaint about the Avalon currently are the seats, which seem to have been made with a form over function paradigm, and are terribly uncomfortable to sit on in the pants and on the back of the shoulder blades and laterals.

The sound system is much more fun than the stock one but the testing and has made my right ear a bit sensitive and I think I am going to turn it down for a while to allow my ears some time to recover.

More pictures and install run-down to come up in the next post. 


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