Vancouver Toyota Client Comes To Ralph’s For Tundra Audio Upgrade

A client from Vancouver came to Ralph’s Radio in search of a 2016 Toyota Tundra audio upgrade for his factory system. Our team looked over the truck with him, listened to the existing stereo and talked about goals for the upgrade. When we were finished at the Tundra, we spent time listening to equipment in our state of the art sound room. At the end of our consultation, the staff worked up a proposal that we thought best fit his needs. He loved our ideas, so we set a time to begin working on the Toyota.

No Need To Change The Radio For Better Tundra Audio

In many modern vehicles, there is no reason to change out the stock stereo system in the dash. The limiting factors related to sound quality are speakers, power and a processor. In this Tundra, we retained the original Toyota radio in the dash and sent the musical signal to an Audison BitOne sound processor. This serves several purposes for us. First, we can remove the equalization Toyota adds to the music, giving us a great starting point for the upgrades. Second, we can fine-tune each and every new speaker in the vehicle, including crossover points, time delay and equalization. In the hands of a skilled tuner, a BitOne will have music staging across the dash, rivaling the sound quality of the finest home audio systems.

Sound Dampening Eliminates Road Noise

The entire floor was stripped and then the Focal BAM was applied.

To give this truck a quiet ride and enhanced audio Focal BAM was used throughout the interior.

When you want to take full advantage of an upgraded sound system, road noise is the enemy. The installers at Ralph’s applied sound dampening material to all the doors, floor and the back wall of the truck, making it much quieter inside. It also gives the truck a more solid feel.

Amplifiers Are What Brings The Music To Life

Special care was taken when finding the locations for the amplifiers and processor.

Both Audison amplifiers and the Audison processor were flush-mounted in the floor, under the rear seat.

When you turn up the volume knob on your stereo, you are sending more power to the speakers. If you want concert-level volume, you need real power, so we went back to Audison, choosing a pair of their amplifiers. The AV-5.1k powers the front speakers, giving 140 watts to each woofer and 70 watts to each tweeter. It also provides more than 1,000 watts of clean power to the pair of subwoofers. An SR2 sends 60 watts to each speaker in the rear doors. In total, the system has more than 1,500 watts of power available, giving the driver incredible output potential coupled with awesome dynamic range.

Speakers Bring Out All The Nuances In The Music

The rear doors received a similar treatment as the front, Focal BAM, Composite Rings, FAST foam, and Focal speakers.

The Focal K2 Power speakers were chosen for their dynamics and detail.

To properly sound proof the doors, all the wiring and brackets are removed, the Focal BAM applied, and then everything is reassembled.

Composite adapters were fabricated to secure the tweeters in the factory location.

Now it was time for Ralph’s Radio to turn our attention to the speakers. Upfront, we installed a set of Focal ES-165KX2 separates, with the 6.5” woofer going in the front door and the tweeter going in the dash, both in stock locations. We machined custom speaker mounts in-house out of composite to give a solid mounting surface for each speaker. In the rear doors, we installed a set of Focal EC-165K 6.5” coaxial speakers in the stock locations, again using our machined speaker mounts.

Subwoofers Round Out Any Good Audio System

Probably what immerses us in any musical track are the low notes. Everything from a kick drum to a bass guitar gets our heart pumping when we can feel it hitting us in the chest. This Tundra got a custom subwoofer enclosure to hold a pair of Audison APS-10D 10” subwoofers that we fitted behind the rear seat, bolted into place. We lined the inside of the enclosure with our sound-dampening material to eliminate any box resonance.

A Custom Amp Rack Adds The Finishing Touch

In modern pickup trucks, no single spot has a lot of room. That challenge didn’t stop the fabricators at Ralph’s from making a custom amp rack under the rear seat to hold both amplifiers and the processor. We used matching material to cover the outside of the rack and covered trim rings in carbon fiber for a classy touch. The end result was an install that looks like a factory Toyota upgrade.

Experience How Good A Car Audio System Can Sound

We invite you to stop by Ralph’s Radio in Vancouver or Victoria and experience firsthand just how good a car audio system can sound. While you are here, one of our team members will take all the time needed to design a stereo system that best meets your needs. Let us show you why we have been the go-to source for over 60 years for the best in mobile electronics.

Feel free to contact us here for more information.