I just did a complete audio upgrade in my Prius. I will attach a link to my thread with the install. You will have to add a new HU, amp, speakers & sub to notice major improvement in sound quality. I would highly recommend the Polk speakers, I have the Polk MM6501 components (front & rear) and they are amazing (not to mention the great price). For the money there is not a better sounding speaker "I listened to a lot of speakers". If I can help out in any way , let me know. Link to my install: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-audio-electronics/75574-complete-audio-upgrade.html
I'm missing the big picture of the audio chain... maybe you can help me out. Is the signal from the head unit (nav) 8 ch to the amp? Or is it 4 ch + the digital and the amp does all the eq and xover voodoo? If its 4+1 from the head unit maybe at least a passive or active EQ system could be inserted between the head and amp to help correct some of the nasty EQ spectrum issues I hear. If its 8 ch from the head, then maybe 2 4 ch amps could replace the factory one... just some ideas. Depending on feasability and if I 'pull the trigger', I might play with making a simple 12V DAC for the digital line and a line-level mixer to send that audio to the front-L speakers. I LOVE DIY audio projects .
Its 4 (front(LR), rear(LR)). The amp does the crossovers internally. I think shawnb2 did a lot of work to try to overcome it. I'm not sure how it ended up, but he seemed quite frustrated by the amp.
Did anyone ever answer this question asked? ".....is it worth spending real money on speakers (MB Quart, Polk, etc.) or would I max out any benefit using just an average speaker (Sony, Pioneer, etc.).
I replaced my HU with a Pioneer and the speakers are still stock (non-JBL). I am pretty happy with the sound. With that said, I would like to replace the squawkers with some tweet/midrange components. But I am waiting around till some manufactures comes out with a specific replacement.
Good question... I never have really been a Pioneer fan. But this unit, the dvd4100, had good specs and all the features I wanted for a decent price. The unit rocks.:rockon:
I've done HU - and see very good change in stock II speakers. That said, once the actual speakers were swapped, it made a very very big difference (as can be expected). Personally, I like the MB better than Infinity ref (both are similar priced - ~$100 vs $120). I now have my Infinity speakers in the back. You will need a 6x9 to 6.5" adapter - they can be had on Ebay for like $15 - but if I had it to do again, I'd buy a thinner MDF sheet, and cut it myself (the adapters have weak flexible plastic). No real comparison to HU - because any HU really comes with all the nav stuff - and costs that much more...