Any thoughts on the 2024 JBL sound system? Does it sound good?

[webshot]

Any thoughts on the 2024 JBL sound system? Does it sound good?

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[Mackieallan]

Mixed reviews from what I've seen. None seem to really love it though.

Owners, am I wrong?

 

[CATOY]

I personally think they could have given us a better system for the price point of this truck. The max level I can take my premium system to is around 42 and there's very little BASS from the system and the portable. I'm getting used to it and it is is what it is and is my only complaint in my first 125 miles on my truck. My BOSE system in my Chevrolet and the system in my 10 year only Lexus is much better in my opinion. The unit also has a higher output rating when docked than when it's used as a portable according to the manual.

 

[SweetDave]

I’m pleased. Admittedly I have never had anything resembling a quality stereo in any of my vehicles, so my bar is low vehicle-wise. That said, again though, I’m pleased. If you’re looking for LOUD this isn’t it. But to me the presence is really there, it’s nice and full and doesn’t need to BE loud to achieve this. I listen to mainly soundboard Grateful Dead shows while driving and so far these are crisp and clear via Bluetooth, I’m going to dump some onto a thumb and see what this does since Bluetooth is typically a poor conductor of lossless files. I also REALLY like the sound from the removable speaker, again it’s very full and has good bass range. I’ll add that the overall sound is noticeably reduced WITHOUT the center speaker present.

 

[iResQ]

The old adage "there is no replacement for displacement" may no longer be true for engines, it still is true for audio bass. There just is not enough room inside of a mid-sized truck. I wouldn't be surprised if JL came out with a Stealthbox to fit under the driver's rear seat.

I heard the premium in an OR. It was pretty good but not great. Would be curious what the head-to-head comparison would be.

 

[webshot]

Unfortunately, in every previous Toyota I have owned (6) I have always had to upgrade the speakers or other.

If/when my Limited arrives, I'll post back on my thoughts on the JBL system.

 

[Clockchoke]

Unfortunately, in every previous Toyota I have owned (6) I have always had to upgrade the speakers or other.

If/when my Limited arrives, I'll post back on my thoughts on the JBL system.

I ordered a limited as well. I took out all the stereo stuff from my 2023 tacoma that upgraded the sound system. If its the same stuff as the 23 im set up. The jbl is 2 ohms and has no rca outs on the 2023. I had to buy device to pirate the signal and get rca outs to 2 amps. Crutchfields had wire harnesses that made it easy too, because you need to leave the stock amp hooked up too because it runs some of the functions of the truck. I eanded up running the stock head unit going to both the stock amp and a 4 ohm 4 channel amp to kicker speakers all around in addition to a jl powered 10inch sub. Sounded light years better than the stock jbl that was supposed to be premium. I got hit by a uninsured driver and totaled my 2023, insurance wasnt going to pay for any upgrades so i robbed it of everything I could before signing it away.

 

[Fhb]

I ordered a limited as well. I took out all the stereo stuff from my 2023 tacoma that upgraded the sound system. If its the same stuff as the 23 im set up. The jbl is 2 ohms and has no rca outs on the 2023. I had to buy device to pirate the signal and get rca outs to 2 amps. Crutchfields had wire harnesses that made it easy too, because you need to leave the stock amp hooked up too because it runs some of the functions of the truck. I eanded up running the stock head unit going to both the stock amp and a 4 ohm 4 channel amp to kicker speakers all around in addition to a jl powered 10inch sub. Sounded light years better than the stock jbl that was supposed to be premium. I got hit by a uninsured driver and totaled my 2023, insurance wasnt going to pay for any upgrades so i robbed it of everything I could before signing it away.

Sounds like the JBL on Tacoma is similar to my previous experience with RAV4 hybrid limited sound system. Advertised as premium, but It’s just ok. Subwoofer and bass somewhat lacking as others have noted.

 

[Drakka01]

Have the premium in the OR. It does the job if you turn up the bass and midrange but doesn't wow me. Feels a little better than the '22 with premium but that may be more about the quieter ride than the audio. Of note, also, is that this is all based on Android Auto (specifically Pandora). I don't use XM or broadcast radio.

I did see some people talking about it not going loud enough and I'm not sure what that's about unless they like it breaking-glass loud. In my '22 I usually listened at ~10 going slow on residential streets up to 20 on the highway with sometimes going to 25 if it's a song I'm really feeling and want to jam to. On the '24, I'm around 5-7 for residential and busy-ish city streets. Haven't really done a lot of highway driving yet. Also haven't had windows down while driving because it's been raining which means I've had the benefit of noise cancellation and acoustic glass.
It does have a setting for auto volume adjustment based on speed. Wondering if people are getting confused about volume as a result of this feature defaulting to On.

 

[ridetime]

It's pretty source dependent. If your feeding it higher bit rate audio (Spotify 320kbps, Apple Music 256 AAC or higher) I find it pretty decent. If your source is low quality the information in the recording just isn't there to reach low enough for deep solid bass/sub bass. Mids and highs will also lack clarity and detail.

 

[Subs80]

I’m not a speaker professional by any means but I am pleasantly surprised compared to what I was expecting based on reviews Not the best sound but good enough to make me happy

 

[Madmez]

I think it needs to be tuned. It also depends on the genre. I wasn't getting much bass from my usual songs but then I played "trunk by phonk killer" and man the truck was booming at loud volume with no distortion.

Pick songs with heavy bass and you will not be disappointed.

 

[Pootklopp]

Best review I have seen.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/my-jbl-take.828199/#post-29688164

 

[Supertech1]

After owning mine for 2 weeks and playing with Spotify settings, I’ve got to say I’m very happy with the JBL. Probably not fair to compare to the JBL in 2023 Tundra because I did not adjust Spotify settings.

I only listen to music through Spotify so my experience is likely different than other sources.

I saw a suggestion to open Spotify, go to Settings, Playback and adjust sound to Loud. This did make a noticeable difference that I was happy with. This morning I decided to check out other settings and went to “Equalizer” settings. When I turned this feature on it made a significant difference. This paired with Acoustic setting is very good.

 

[Drakka01]

So, I went for a drive with the windows down, moon roof open, a little bit of freeway driving, etc. All of that was pretty much as expected ... a little better than my 3rd Gen JBL system but nothing earth shattering.
When Troye Sivan's "You" came on (it's got a really good range with clear bass so great for testing). I was actually impressed with the bass although most of it felt like it was coming from the door speakers, unsurprisingly. I had to take the dog leash out of the door pocket because the speaker was making the metal clip on it rattle in the plastic pocket (need to model them out and print some TPU inserts). It delivered really good bass with nice highs and midrange with volume at 25, windows/roof open @ 25 mph. Source was Android Auto playing Pandora @ 64 kbps AAC+ because I forgot to set this newish phone to HQ which would have been 192 kbps MP3.

Overall, while it's certainly no luxury town car level of sound, I think unless you're a serious audiophile or snob, you're probably not going to be disappointed.

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