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

[benjedi420vt]

If it sounds like its coming from the back then you went to far with the rear fade. It is very possible to balance it nicely. I know this because I did it. Good luck with getting what makes you happy!

I'm working on this as well. I believe mine is two clicks rear and one click to the right and it sounds...better. The problem with this is it reduces the sound from the front tweeters as well...which you really don't want to do. With all the above said, the sound is very crisp and detailed...it's a quality system. Just need to be able adjust the volume of that center channel. And it most certainly can be adjusted...it's just a matter of Toyota or JBL writing some code to let us adjust it. If enough people complain about maybe they'll do something.

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[MT-Taco]

Try this…

Edit… I also set Volume Level in Spotify to Loud

 

[Miqie]

Try this…

Which program are you using here?

 

[MT-Taco]

Which program are you using here?

Spotify

 

[benjedi420vt]

Okay so bear in mind that I have the TRD OffRoad Upgrade not the standard package so that means I have a SUBWOOFER behind the drivers rear seat which I don't think the standard package has. I'm pretty sure this has a significant effect on my results below.

The image I attached is for the 2023 but it's the same layout as 2024 except the subwoofer is behind the drivers side this year...and of course the JBL Flex speaker which sits on the middle of the dash.

I called and talked to tech support at JBL yesterday about turning down the volume of the JBL FLEX speaker. In short they said while it has the JBL logo on it, everything is manufactured by and controlled by the Toyota...so you need to talk to Toyota or your local dealer which we all know is a BLACK HOLE...so...what to do?

I played around quite a bit this am. The sound system really is terrific and sounds amazing...it's just a matter of where you want to hear a lot of the sound coming from. What I ended up doing was listening to tracks that I like and know well at volume level 45 (pretty darn loud) with everything in the "center" by hitting the recenter button. Then mid way through the track (or sometimes restarting the track) I hit the "eject" button on the JBL FLEX speaker so it just floats there and is deactivated.

WOW WOW WOW...What a difference that makes!

Audiobooks/radio news program like NPR or ESPN radio...FLEX in or out didn't matter to me I think for obvious reasons.

Classical (Orchestra): John Williams Duel of Fates (Star Wars EP1), Raider's March (Indiana Jones) & The Marriage Of Figaro Overture (Mozart). Sounded great both with and without the JBL FLEX speaker. IMO mostly likely because these recordings don't have much of a "stereo" effect. The only real difference I noticed was with the JBL FLEX speaker it was a little bit louder (easily handled by the volume knob).

Rock: Chalkdust Torture (Phish), Bring It On Home (Zeppelin) & Gimme A Bullet (AC/DC). All sounded much better without the FLEX speaker IMO...in fact they f-ing rocked! Specifically Gimme A Bullet because it starts with a guitar in the left channel and then followed by guitar in the right channel and then has pretty good stereo effect for the rest of the song. Now to be clear with the FLEX speaker in the stereo effect was still very obvious and noticeable however a lot of the sound and almost 100% of the voices are thrown right behind the multimedia display, right at the bottom of the windshield in the exact center to be specific, which I just don't like and as mentioned before is overpowered so it's hard to hear the "sides" (left and right tweeters above the dash). With the JBL FLEX speaker ejected it just sounded "right" The voices and instruments are right where they are supposed to be and balanced in level...no one spot sounded louder than another.

Pop/Other/(Bass beat): Breathe (Keller Williams), Happy (Pharrell Williams) & UpTown Funk (Mark Ronson w/Bruno Mars) All sounded much better without the JBL FLEX speaker mostly due to the location of the voices. The other big thing I was wondering was how much quiter it would be without the JBL FLEX speaker and would the bass be affected. In short, No! Because of the subwoofer (and possibly the woofers as well) I really didn't notice much of a difference in the bass...certainly not anything meanignful that led me to think I was missing anything. Also, since bass isn't directional that wasn't suprising to me. It was a little less loud overall but again easily fixed with the volume knob adjusting maybe up to 48 from 45...not a big deal.

So, in conclusion what I'll do is keep the JBL FLEX speaker "in" because I listen to a lot of audiobooks/NPR. And when I switch over to music (and really care about listening versus just background noise) I'll just "eject" the speaker. I mentioned above that withtout the JBL FLEX speaker it was a little less loud...I think a better way to describe it is to say it was less "noisy." I didn't mind missing the extra loudness at all and IMO it actually cleared up the the sound.

Note about the fader: One thing I did notice (WITHOUT the JBL FLEX speaker) was that when the fader was set to center (instead of two clicks back) the sound was improved, was more "full." I think this is because when sending more of the signal to the "back" it significantly changes the sound profile because the mid/tweeters on the dash get a lot less signal (and these speakers produce far better quality sound than the "midrange" speakers in the back doors). So when using the using the JBL FLEX speaker, I imagine the sound profile is similarly changed (for the worse).

 

[guitarist alec]

Great analysis @benjedi420vt thx

 

[goin2drt]

@benjedi420vt you are now at least the second person I have read that recommends popping out the JBL dash speaker for better sound/stereo experience. I will give it a go.

 

[Kielly]

Is it the best stock sound system I've had in a vehicle? Yes. Is it a great sound system? No. Subpar. If you're an audiophile you'll notice it, if you like deep bass you'll notice it. Otherwise for the average Joe it's great.


I find more bass comes from the front door speakers than the actual sub it's self, that said you can buy a plug and play aftermarket amp but it's ungodly expensive, and out of my spending range.

They could've done way better for the price they charge for these vehicles, but at least it's something

I'm actually mostly disappointed in the center pop out Bluetooth speaker. It's loud, and it's what I use for my campsite, but my $50 off brand Bluetooth speaker probably puts out just as much bass.

 

[OldTimer]

Overall, the system is decent. If they had decreased the volume to the removable center speaker while providing more power to the rear speakers and subwoofer it would have been very good. I have changed the fader more towards the rear and even at high volume it just seems like the system was designed to not push anything to the rear.

For reference my wife's Pilot with the 12 speaker Bose sounds much better. A Honda Ridgeline I test drove when truck shopping with the upgraded 9 speaker system sounds better.

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