LC Trim base level stereo

[lplanck]

I have a 2025 LC 1958 and plan on following your speaker recommendations. I used Infinity's in my 2017 Tacoma and loved it. I did use a Subaru Kicker dash speaker on the TACO.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XNK14BC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

The 6.5" Infinity you suggest, Crutchfield states that it only works for the Front door. Is there a reason for this or are they being overly cautious? The suggest the REF607FSL. They don't suggest that the 6x9 will work, but too many have used it for me to question. Thank you for the write-up.

 

[ekkoville]

I have finally settled on the JL Audio C2-350x. I tried many different models - Infinity RF307F, Pioneer TS-A879, AudioControl PNW-35, Focal ACX100, and Alpine S2-S40. The 4”, like Chancellor said, are just too tall for the driver side but I had to check. I will say, the Focal were fantastic sounding, smooth as silk and blended the best of any of the five I tried. The Alpine, and to some extent the Infinity’s, were too bright for me. The Alpine was almost tinny sounding in the highs, that’s unnatural sounding. The AudioControl sounded great but the low sensitivity and 3-Ohm load were too much for the stock amp. So, of the three 3” models, I found the JL Audio were more of what I liked. Natural sounding, crisp but not tin-like. And a discount helped that purchase.

 

[Skidaddl]

I have finally settled on the JL Audio C2-350x. I tried many different models - Infinity RF307F, Pioneer TS-A879, AudioControl PNW-35, Focal ACX100, and Alpine S2-S40. The 4”, like Chancellor said, are just too tall for the driver side but I had to check. I will say, the Focal were fantastic sounding, smooth as silk and blended the best of any of the five I tried. The Alpine, and to some extent the Infinity’s, were too bright for me. The Alpine was almost tinny sounding in the highs, that’s unnatural sounding. The AudioControl sounded great but the low sensitivity and 3-Ohm load were too much for the stock amp. So, of the three 3” models, I found the JL Audio were more of what I liked. Natural sounding, crisp but not tin-like. And a discount helped that purchase.

Curious - if the Focal were the best sounding, why did you go another route? Was there a significant cost difference?

 

[ekkoville]

The Focal was actually a bit cheaper than the JL Audio but I just couldn’t make the 4” fit in the drivers side. The AC air duct is in the way and it sticks up too high. There’s a small clip that holds that duct, I removed that and tried to get the duct to stay low enough to allow the speaker to sit right but it just wouldn’t work. Every attempt had the dash grill hitting the tweeter and it would not snap back into place.

 

[Skidaddl]

The Focal was actually a bit cheaper than the JL Audio but I just couldn’t make the 4” fit in the drivers side. The AC air duct is in the way and it sticks up too high. There’s a small clip that holds that duct, I removed that and tried to get the duct to stay low enough to allow the speaker to sit right but it just wouldn’t work. Every attempt had the dash grill hitting the tweeter and it would not snap back into place.

Ahhh...gotcha. Thanks.

Watching this thread with great interest as it will be on the "to-do" list after wheels, tires, and a few other things. The stock stereo on the base trim isn't awful, but it's definitely muddy, has very little separation, and is tuned very bass heavy - and not "tight" bass. Did a 10-1/2 hour road trip (each way) about a week ago, and the listening fatigue is definitely noticeable.

 

[ekkoville]

Yeah the dash speaker change was a big improvement considering the limitations of the head unit. @ToyFan did a mod with the BeatSonic amp and it sounds like the rear doors may be worth upgrading next. He said that really opened the rear soundstage. When I use the fade and send audio to just the rear, it’s noticeably lower and muffled. Honestly it sounds terrible in the back. Perhaps the BeatSonic helped along with the rear speakers, but it sounds like it’s a big improvement.

 

[Skidaddl]

I had similar speakers in another Toyota vehicle. I think they're literally throw aways just so they can up the speaker count for marketing purposes.

 

[chancellor]

I have a 2025 LC 1958 and plan on following your speaker recommendations. I used Infinity's in my 2017 Tacoma and loved it. I did use a Subaru Kicker dash speaker on the TACO.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XNK14BC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

The 6.5" Infinity you suggest, Crutchfield states that it only works for the Front door. Is there a reason for this or are they being overly cautious? The suggest the REF607FSL. They don't suggest that the 6x9 will work, but too many have used it for me to question. Thank you for the write-up.

Crutchfield probably does not recommend the 6x9 b/c the mounting brackets don't fit the hole pattern exactly, but it is super easy to drill extra holes in the bracket.

There probably isn't much difference between a 6.5 and a 6x9, a little more bass from the 6x9 and a little more accuracy from the 6.5